Electroporation for Developmental Cell Activation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for obtaining pluripotent cells are inefficient and rely on exogenous nucleic acids or small molecules, lacking effective means for developmental activation of cells for repair, renewal, genetic correction, protein therapy, and tissue engineering.
Innovation Solution
The use of regulated electrical fields, specifically through electroporation and magnetoporation, to activate cells, enabling the generation of desired cell types by applying energy and proteins like Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog, allowing for cellular cargo delivery and tissue repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exogenous nucleic acids are used to obtain pluripotent cells, then cell reprogramming can be achieved, but the method is inefficient and requires complex genetic manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex genetic manipulation (biological/chemical system) with electroporation technology (physical system). By applying electrical fields to cells, the method creates temporary pores in cell membranes to enable direct protein delivery, eliminating the need for viral vectors, transfection reagents, and complex genetic engineering procedures while achieving efficient pluripotent cell generation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses electroporation as an intermediary physical process to facilitate protein delivery into cells. The electrical field acts as a mediator that temporarily modifies cell membrane permeability, allowing developmental proteins to enter cells efficiently without requiring genetic manipulation or complex transfection protocols
2Reliability
If small molecules are used for cell activation, then some reprogramming effect can be achieved, but the efficiency remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of delivery mechanism from chemical diffusion (small molecules) to electrical field-driven transport (electroporation). This parameter change enables direct protein delivery at physiological concentrations, achieving high reprogramming efficiency without requiring high concentrations of small molecules or complex chemical cocktails
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method effectively induces pluripotency in cells, enabling them to carry various cargoes and perform tissue repair, renewal, and genetic correction, with applications in biomedical and industrial uses.
Implementation Method 1
Cells are exposed to an Electric field using electroporation. Magnetoporation, which relies on generation of a magnetic field and electroporation are both effective in porating a cell membrane and producing cellular uptake of a molecule or compound or element.
Implementation Method 2
Magnetoporation, which relies on generation of a magnetic field and electroporation are both effective in porating a cell membrane and producing cellular uptake of a molecule or compound or element.
Data Source
AI summary
The claimed invention is directed towards equipment, methods and compositions involving application of an Electric field that are suitable for in vivo electroporation, in vitro application of an Electric field and the generation of developmentally-activated, totipotent, pluripotent, pluripotent-like, multipotent, and/or self-renewing cells which are capable of beginning to differentiate in culture into a variety of cell types and capable of further differentiation in vivo. The claimed invention is also directed towards the generation of desirable, differentiating somatic cell populations transplantable to animals or patients, to drug screening and drug discovery, cellular therapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and the treatment of patients suffering from diseases that may be ameliorated by these methods. This invention also provides methods for preventing, treating, or retarding disease, for example, immunodeficiency virus (e.g. HIV-1, HIV-2, SIV, FIV, etc.) infection.