Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4753480 | Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering | 2016 | 5 Pages |
Efficient and rapid delivery of macromolecule probes, such as quenchbodies and other large biomarkers that cannot readily pass through the plasma membrane, is necessary for live-cell imaging and other intracellular analyses. We present here an alternative, simple method for delivery of macromolecules into live cells. In this method, which we term here mechanoporation, a nanoneedle array is used for making transient pores in the plasma membrane to allow access of desired macromolecules into thousands of live cells, simultaneously. This rapid, 3-step method facilitates an efficient delivery by adding macromolecules into the medium, inserting nanoneedles into the cells and oscillating the nanoneedle array, a process that takes no more than 5Â min in total. In addition, we demonstrate here how this method can repeatedly and reproducibly deliver molecules into specifically-selected locations on a given cell culture dish. The results presented here show how this unique mechanoporation method enables rapid and high-throughput bio-macromolecule delivery and live-cell imaging.