A fully integrated system for single-site electroporation and addressed cell drug delivery

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a great interest in developing microdevices able to perform in-vitro cell assays for high throughput drug screening. In this work, we propose two modules that could be integrated in a single platform: a gold microelectrode array (MEA) for single-site cell transfection and two interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) arrays for the controlled localization of cells and the delivery of bio-chemical species. The modules have been already realized, separately tested and both have demonstrated their feasibility. The final aim is to perform single-site drug delivery in a microfluidic structure where different bio chemical species could be addressed to different cell groups in specific areas of the chip. In perspective, an high level of integration can be obtained by combining the two miniaturized approaches through microfabrication techniques, resulting in a portable and high throughput system for fast and efficient in-vitro drug screening. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.