Regular articleTransfection of Jurkat T cells by droplet electroporation

- Our previously developed electroporation system has been applied to transfection of Jurkat T cell.
- Effects of voltage and time on the transfection were investigated.
- Higher transfection efficiency than that of conventional system was accomplished.

A droplet electroporation system has been successfully demonstrated for transfection of Jurkat T cell with much higher transfection efficiency (66%) than that of conventional system (11.4%) with the advantages of superior cell viability, comparable throughput, and user-friendly interface. Because the productivity of the proposed system is much greater than previous microfluidic systems, flow cytometry is used for the analysis of transfection efficiency. The high transfection efficiency and cell viability of the droplet electroporation system is mainly attributed to small size which requires lower voltage and provides concentrated environment. The successful transfection of Jurkat cell using the droplet electroporation system broadens the applicability of the proposed technology to medical field. The implication of the present work and the future development direction for a fully automated cell engineering platform are discussed.