The art of delivery: uptake into living cells by microwave field induced perturbation of the plasma membrane

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The availability of powerful techniques allowing non-invasive delivery of a variety of compounds to artificially manipulate cellular functions is essential for basic research and potential therapeutic applications. The cell membrane constitutes the major barrier for the transport of molecules into living cells. It requires an interdisciplinary approach to develop new physical technologies to transiently disrupt this barrier and allow the transport and incorporation of synthetic compounds into the molecular machinery of cells. The recently discovered microwave based poration process prospects to overcome state of the art problems of established techniques. We have put together an interdisciplinary team to tackle this complex problem that involves scientists with expertise in engineering and biology. Based on our proof-of-concept results in which we built and tested a prototype for microwave assisted poration that allowed the transport of fluorescently labeled peptides into living cells, we propose to profoundly expand this by applying the gained knowledge to transport a wide variety of molecules covering a large size range into living cells. Furthermore, we will test the effect of the newly develop technique on the cell’s physiology and use it to manipulate and investigate cellular physiology in real time in living cells and organisms. Based on our results, guidelines and protocols for the uptake of new substances will be established.