Available Technology
Fast, accurate, laser-based cell injection technique
Technology:
Optoinjection technique: Low intensity lasers used to create pores in cell membranes, which can allow entry of DNA/RNA or drugs.
Markets Addressed
The injection of drugs and transfection of genes into living cells are among the most important research tools in modern molecular biology. The current existing techniques to do this range from using viruses or chemicals enveloping the DNA and crossing the cell membrane, to employing mechanical means to inject material directly into a cell’s nucleus, to the more recent advancements in using high intensity lasers to bore holes in cell walls. All of these mentioned techniques have benefits and drawbacks, however a recent advancement made by the Mazur lab using low-intensity lasers and field-enhancing substrates makes it possible to induce membrane poration necessary for material injection into cells in an extremely attractive fashion. The new technology complements the accuracy of traditional laser induced membrane poration by allowing an operator to use some existing laser scanning microscopes in combination with a proprietary substrate to perform a desired cell injection.
When compared to traditional optoinjection techniques, this technique dramatically increases the rate of cells transfected and decreases overall light intensity required for poration, reducing cell death and allowing the use of commonly available equipment. The technique enables optoinjection for large-scale sample work and manufacture.
Innovations and Advantages
The historical optoinjection technique make use of specialized pulsed lasers. These lasers generate large intensities of light used to porate a target’s cell wall such that foreign material may pass through it. The invention described here utilizes less intense light sources in combination with a field-enhancing substrate to amplify the local optical field intensity to a level such that the intensity threshold for damaging a cell wall is reached at a lower incident laser intensity than is normally required. This implies that the cells sitting on top of the substrate experience a high intensity at specific points of contact to the underlying substrate. Using this field-enhancing substrate, many cells may become transiently porous, permitting highly-efficient transfection. In addition, the laser used for the transfection has a lower intensity requirement than if it were not used in conjunction with the field-enhancing substrate. This opens up possibilities of performing transfection of cells in large numbers with larger focused spot sizes at high speeds.
Additional Information
Intellectual Property Status: PCT International Application
Website:
The Mazur Research Group
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Inventor(s):
Diebold, Eric
Heisterkamp, Alexander
Mazur, Eric
Categories:
- Drug Discovery Tools
- Materials
- Nanotechnology
- Physics
- Research Tools
- Semiconductors
- Stem Cells/Regenerative Medicine
For further information, please contact:
Alan Gordon, Director of Business Development
(617) 384-5000
Reference Harvard Case #3466