(136d) Effect of the Electric Field on a Multi-Cell System in Complex Geometry

As an effective non-viral method in gene delivery, cell electroporation applies an external electric field to temporarily increase the permability of the cell membrane. Currently, there are two types of cell electroporation, i.e., the bulk and single cell electroporations. The efficiency of the single cell electroporation is higher because it can precisely control the electric field distribution around the single cell. But the effect of electric field on a multi-cell system hasn't been fully understood yet, especially when the system is in a complex geometry. We use both experiment and simulation to study the effect of external electric field on a system with two or more cells in a complex contraction/expansion microchannel, which can focus the electric field near the area of smallest cross-section. By using charged tracing particles, we are able to draw the electric field lines in this multi-cell system. This also enables us to calculate the value of the electric conductivity of the cell. Both the experiment and simulation show that the distribution of the electric field varies when the relative position of cells changes. This study can be used to guide us to increase the efficiency of the bulk electroporation.