Axon Axoporator 800A Electroporator

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Molecular Devices

The world's first commercially available single-cell electroporator represents the convergence of biophysics, cell biology, and molecular biology. The Axoporator® 800A Electroporation System, a micropipette-based molecule delivery system uses voltage pulses to cause the transient formation of membrane pores through which membrane-impermeant molecules and ions can enter the cell. The mechanism is the same as that used for the bulk electroporation of suspended cells-dielectric breakdown of the membrane by a voltage pulse. However, single-cell electroporation offers distinct advantages over bulk electroporation: Individual cells can be targeted for specific modification. Whether you're using isolated cells, tissue slice, or an intact preparation, this technique allows you to focus on an individual cell. - Precise regions of the cell can be selectively targeted. Apical vs. basal, neurite vs. axon, animal vs. vegetal pole-single cell electroporation allows you to focus on very specific regions of the cell under study. Large, isolated, and intact organelles are also suitable for single-cell electroporation. - Only minute compound volumes are required for electroporation. This helps preserve expensive and rare molecules. - Focused electroporation ensures very high rates of surviving cells - 80% on average. Cells better tolerate the intervention because only a small portion of cell membrane is severed by the voltage-delivering micropipette. Thus a cell can be electroporated more than once, e.g., for delivery of different genes or dyes successively.