Intracellular delivery of macromolecules has long been a challenge in both research and therapeutic applications. Prof. Klavs Jensen and Prof. Robert Langer of MIT recognized this challenge and organized a collaborative research effort to develop microfluidic methods of intracellular delivery.

Fig 1. CellSqueeze microfluidic chip (Credit: SQZBiotech)

Each CellSqueeze microfluidic chip consists of a series of 80 parallel channels and each one of them has at least one constriction smaller than the cell diameter. This microfluidic chip works in this way: the cells – in a culture with the material to be delivered – are pushed through the channels with pressure.  As the cells pass through the constrictions, they get “squeezed”. Due to this gentle squeezing, transient pores open up in the membrane. While the pores are open, the material of interest gets inside the cells by diffusion. After few minutes, the membrane closes. 

 

 

Source from: sqzbiotech