Prof. Aram Chung’s team develops biochip for large-capacity, high-efficiency intracellular delivery of nanomaterials
Results published in prestigious international journal Nano Letters

A research team led by Professor Aram Chung of the School of Biomedical Engineering under the College of Health Science developed an inertial microfluidic platform capable of delivering a wide range of nanomaterials (CRISPR, nucleic acid, protein, plasmid, etc.) into more than a million cells per minute.

The results were published on March 23 in the prestigious international journal Nano Letters (impact factor = 12.71).
※ Title of publication: Intracellular Delivery of Nanomaterials via an Inertial Microfluidic Cell Hydroporator
※ Primary author: Professor Aram Chung (corresponding author, Korea University)

The intracellular delivery of materials is one of the most fundamental experiments in cell biology and cell engineering. For instance, the removal of a specific gene using genome editing technology involves the intracellular delivery of an RNA containing bases complementary to that of the target DNA sequence and a protein enzyme called Cas-9, which is responsible for finding the target sequence and cutting at the right location. Some common techniques being used on a daily basis in biology research labs, such as gene expression and knockdown (gene silencing), also begin with the intracellular delivery of nucleic acid (siRNA or shRNA) or plasmid. 
 

[Figure Description] Schematic diagram showing the intracellular delivery of various materials (nucleic acid, plasmid, CRISPR, nanomaterials) in cell biology or cell engineering research

Existing methods of intracellular delivery rely on viruses, microneedles, electroporation, or lipofectamine (cationic lipid molecules), but they are limited in terms of stability, cost, and efficiency. To overcome these weaknesses, Professor Chung’s team proposed a method of delivering materials through nanopores created in the cell membrane and nuclear envelope by inducing cell-wall collisions, as shown below. The key advantages of the new technique are high processing capabilities (more than a million cells per minute), stable efficiency (80–90%), low-cost platform (less than KRW 50 per platform), and ease of use even without special training. 
 

[Figure Description] (left) Inertial effects were used to create cell-wall collisions for delivery of various materials into cells. Nanopores were created in walls during cell-wall collisions, and nanocargos (represented by red dots) were passively delivered due to the concentration gradient. (center) Images of cell-wall collisions taken using a high-speed microscope (right) Results of intracellular delivery of fluorescence protein

Professor Chung said, “This study is more than a report on the efficient intracellular delivery of various nanomaterials; it provides biologists with a platform for practical utilization of the proposed biochip. The lab is working on increasing supply to meet the high demand among biologists and medical scientists.”