High-Throughput and Self-Powered Electroporation System for Drug Delivery Assisted by Microfoam Electrode
Zhirong Liu, Xi Liang, Huanhuan Liu, Zhuo Wang, Zhuo Wang, Tao Jiang, Yuanyuan Cheng, Mengqi Wu, Deli Xiang, Zhou Li, Zhong Lin Wang, Zhong Lin Wang, Linlin Li
Abstract
Electroporation is an effective approach for drug and gene delivery, but it is still limited by its low-throughput and severe cell damage. Herein, with a self-powered triboelectric nanogenerator as the power source, we demonstrated a high-throughput electroporation system based on the design of biocompatible and flexible polypyrrole microfoam as the electrode within the flow channel. In particular, to lower the imposed voltage, one-dimensional (1D) Ag nanowires were modified on the microfoam electrode to build up a locally enhanced electric field and reduce cell damage. The self-powered electroporation system realized a successful delivery of small and large biomolecules into different cell lines with efficiency up to 86% and cell viability over 88%. The handle throughput achieved as high as 105 cells min–1 on continuously flowed cells. The high-throughput and self-powered electroporation system is expected to have potential applications in the fields of high-throughput drug and gene delivery for in vitro isolated cells.