Electroporation apparatus having an elongated hollow

Abstract

An electroporation apparatus comprising an elongated hollow member in order to provide a uniform electric field during electroporation, wherein specifically, electroporation is carried out by applying electric pulses through a couple of electrodes from both end parts of the elongated hollow member, after the hollow member is charged with fluid specimen including cells and material which would be injected into the cells.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electroporation system for introducing foreign materials into cells by electroporating cell membranes, comprising:
 an electroporation apparatus; and   a pulse generator for generating an electric pulse,   
       wherein the electroporation apparatus comprises: a long hollow specimen-stuffing member of non-conductive material; a reservoir so connected as to fluidly communicate with a distal end of the specimen-stuffing member; and a pressure maintaining means connected to the other distal end of the hollow specimen-stuffing member to fluidly communicate via a connector disposed with an electrode insertion unit,
 the reservoir is disposed with an electrode contacting the specimen or an electrolytic solution, the specimen-stuffing member is filled with the specimen by the pressure maintaining means, the specimen or the electrolytic solution filled in the reservoir is connected to a distal end of the specimen-stuffing member for fluid communication, and an electric pulse or electric pulses are applied to an electrode contacting the specimen or the electrolytic solution filled in the reservoir and the other electrode inserted into the electrode insertion unit of the connector to thereby electroporate the cells in the specimen filled in the specimen-stuffing member. 
 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the specimen-stuffing member has a ratio (R, cm −1 ) of longitudinal length (L, cm) to horizontal cross-sectional area (A, cm 2 ) in the range of 1/50 to 1/10,000. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the hollow specimen-stuffing member is a capillary, a tubing or a channel. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein more than two electroporation apparatuses are arranged in parallel. 
     
     
         5 .- 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . An electroporation system for introducing foreign materials into cells by electroporating cell membranes by way of applying an electric pulse or electric pulses to a specimen including the cells, comprising:
 an electroporation apparatus; and   a pulse generator for generating an electric pulse,   wherein the electroporation apparatus further comprises: a long hollow specimen-stuffing member of non-conductive material; a pair of reservoirs connected to both distal ends of the specimen-stuffing member for fluid communication, and   the reservoirs are disposed with electrodes for contacting the specimen or an electrolytic solution and an electric pulse or electric pulses are applied to the electrodes contacting the specimen or the electrolytic solution stored in the reservoirs, thereby electroporating the cells in the specimen filled in the specimen-stuffing member.   
     
     
         15 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The electroporation system of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure maintaining means is connected by a connector disposed with electrode insertion unit for inserting the electrode, wherein the connector is a disc-shaped connector, a Y-shaped connector or a T-shaped connector. 
     
     
         22 . The electroporation system of  claim 21 , wherein the electrode is inserted into the electrode insertion unit for applying electric pulses, and the electrode contact the specimen if the specimen-stuffing member is filled therein with the specimen. 
     
     
         23 . The electroporation system of  claim 21 , wherein the connector is a disc for forming a hole therein for passing the specimen, and the electrode insertion unit is formed at a lateral surface of the disc. 
     
     
         24 . The electroporation system of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure maintaining means is a pump, a syringe or a pipette. 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The electroporation system of  claim 24 , wherein the pressure maintaining means is a pipette in which a conductive contact is disposed at part of the pipette body thereof and a movable electrode is inserted for communication with a piston, and wherein the hollow specimen-stuffing member is directly attached and detached to a tip mounting shaft of the pipette. 
     
     
         27 .- 42 . (canceled)