Rapid Single-Cell Electroporation for Labeling Organotypic Cultures

Single-cell electroporation is a technique for transfecting individual cells in tissue culture at relatively high efficiencies, however it is both time-consuming and low-throughput and this limits the number of different labeling agents that can be effectively introduced into a region of tissue in reasonable periods of time. A novel system that will rapidly load, clean, and accurately position a glass micropipette electrode into tissue culture for single-cell electroporation is proposed. The system will significantly increase the number of different labeling agents that can be introduced into a single tissue culture per unit time. This in turn, will provide a means for improving the study of neural anatomy at cellular resolutions in both tissue culture and in vivo environments. Thesis Supervisor: Mehmet F. Yanik Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science