Flexible Support Gene Injection Needle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gene injection methods are invasive and inefficient, particularly in ensuring high cell survival rates during the delivery of genetic material into cells.
Innovation Solution
A gene injection apparatus and method utilizing a fine needle unit with a flexible support part and a drive unit to gently pierce the cell membrane, allowing for precise and minimally invasive gene delivery by flexing the support part to ensure contact and penetration without causing significant damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fine needle is projected into the cell using a piezoelectric element, then the gene can be injected into the cell, but the method is invasive and reduces cell survival rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible support part as an intermediary between the drive unit and the fine needle. This flexible support part absorbs mechanical stress and enables gentle contact with the cell, reducing direct damage while maintaining injection capability. The flexible support part acts as a mediator that translates drive unit motion into gentle needle penetration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the needle support system by making it flexible rather than rigid. The flexible support part allows dynamic adjustment of contact force and penetration depth, enabling the system to adapt to different cell types and injection requirements while minimizing cell damage.
2Ease of operation
If the fine needle is pressed onto the substrate, then the needle contacts the cell for injection, but the flexible support part must flex which complicates the structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible support part that functions as a flexible element to enable gentle contact between the fine needle and the cell. This flexible component allows the needle to be pressed onto the substrate while accommodating the bending motion needed for precise contact control without requiring complex mechanical assemblies.
3Strength
If the drive unit pushes down the flexible support part from a position further from the substrate, then the needle can penetrate the cell membrane, but the injection precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the flexible support part can bend and adapt during the injection process. The drive unit pushes down from a position further from the substrate to generate sufficient penetration force, while the flexible support part dynamically adjusts the needle position to maintain precise contact with the cell membrane, resolving the contradiction between force and precision.
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
The apparatus achieves high reliability and efficiency in gene delivery while maintaining a high cell survival rate, as demonstrated by successful injection and expression of genes encoding GFP fluorescent protein in HelaS3 cells.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible support part configured to hold the fine needle, the flexible support part being flexing when the fine needle is pressed onto the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a drive unit configured to push down the flexible support part toward the substrate, further from a position where a tip of the fine needle contacts the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A gene injection apparatus for injecting a gene into a cell held on a substrate, includes a needle unit. The needle unit includes a fine needle to be inserted into the cell immersed in a culture medium in which the gene is dispersed, and a flexible support part configured to hold the fine needle, the flexible support part being flexing when the fine needle is pressed onto the substrate. The gene injection apparatus further includes a drive unit configured to push down the flexible support part toward the substrate, further from a position where a tip of the fine needle contacts the substrate.