Apparatus for fusing cells by applying an alternating voltage across a pair of spaced-apart elongated electrodes. The electrodes form between themselves an elongated fusion chamber for receiving a suspension of cells to be fused. The electrodes have a cross-sectional shape adapted to produce an inhomogenous electric field within the fusion chamber suitable for inducing dielectrophoretic movement of suspended cells towards the electrodes and for maintaining strings or lines of two or more cells in contact with the electrodes along an elongated, narrow attachment zone on each electrode. A voltage pulse is applied across the electrodes after the cells have become attached thereto. The duration and amplitude of the pulse is selected to be sufficient to cause the strings of cells to fuse into a single cell. The depth of the fusion chamber below the level of the attachment zones is less than 2 mils, which is shallow enough to inhibit collection of cells below the attachment zones, thereby improving fusion efficiency.
A method is described for treating biological cells and/or their cell components with electrical fields in a reaction medium, in which an inhibitor is added to the reaction medium to counteract the action of enzymes that break down protein.
Dielectrophoretic collection rates of micro-organisms or other animate or inanimate dielectrically polarizable particles in suspension in a fluid are established by flowing the suspension past electrodes energized to produce a non-uniform alternating electric field in the suspension, terminating the energization of the electrodes after a predetermined time to release particles collected from the suspension, and, downstream of the electrodes, measuring the pulse of released particles as a measure of the rate of particle collection during energization of the electrodes. Repeated measurements at different field frequencies enable a collection-rate spectrum to be established and the particles under examination to be characterized or identified by reference to known spectra of known particles.
Apparatus for fusing cells, wherein the fusion chamber is provided with a pair of spaced electrodes whose opposite surfaces have such a vertical dimension as to prevent any nonuniform electric field from adversely affecting fusion of cells. The electrodes may comprise a pair of parallel plate electrodes or cocentrically arranged hollow cylindrical electrodes the outer one of which has an inner circumferential surface of a first radius while the inner electrode has an outer circumferential surface of a second radius smaller than the first radius, the difference between the first and second radii being sufficiently small as compared with the whole length of the radii.
An electroporation and/or fusion treatment of microscopic objects occurs in a medium between at least two electrodes, with the electrodes being miniaturized electrodes in a microsystem with a channel structure which is set up for the flow-through of the medium with the objects.
A high speed, high voltage apparatus using homogeneous, uniform electric fields to treat vesicles carried in a suspension. In one embodiment, parallel electrodes are used to perform dielectrophoretic bunching, rotational prealignment, electro-fusion, and poration of vesicles. In another embodiment, a magnetic electrodeless apparatus is used to perform the treatment. Both embodiments are driven by a high speed, high voltage electronic supply system that utilizes a triggered ionization breakdown delivery system.
