Improving transfection performance and efficiency using #CellixTech

In the twelve years we've been supplying biochips and micropumps to the life sciences, one technique in the field has remained consistently indispensable; transfection. In fact, with the explosion of gene-editing technologies (CRISPR, anyone?), this technique is even more important than ever. But monitoring cells from beginning to end of transfection, in real-time has been impossible - until now.

Transfection efficiency: the past and present

Existing end-point assays for evaluation transfection efficiency include reporter systems and direct visualisation of nucleic acid delivery.

Reporter systems include GFP, luciferase, beta-galactosidase and secreted alkaline phosphatase. Direct visualisation of nucleic acid delivery includes techniques such as nucleic acid labelling, fluorescent labels (such as cyanine dyes or flourescein), epitope tags, or intercalating dyes.

These assays are reliable but have the disadvantage that they are generally low-throughput, laborious, time-intensive and rely on methods which fundamentally alter functional DNA.