Work

A critical review of microfluidic electroporation for therapeutic cell engineering

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Microfluidic electroporation (MFEP) is emerging as a scalable, non-viral modality for engineering therapeutic cells. This review synthesizes recent progress in MFEP, outlining the key advantages of MFEP, including continuous processing at high throughputs, single-cell manipulation and monitoring, electrolysis mitigation, and automation for rapid multi-parameter screening and minimized cell manufacturing complexity. We then survey the waveforms, pulses, and buffers used in MFEP. In doing so, we highlight the diversity of parameters and uncover the inconsistent reporting of outcomes, calling for standardized reporting of electric-field dose, yield, and efficiency. We additionally note the need for investigation into the effects of MFEP on the long-term perturbation of cells given the effects of bulk electroporation compared to other transfection methods. Finally, we conclude that MFEP has many advantages for cell engineering yet must continue to adopt greater validation of short- and long-term efficiency and effects on cells to accelerate clinical adoption.

Source: Cell Reports Physical Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103142

Authors: Madeline E. Hoyle, Julio P. Arroyo, Rafael V. Davalos, Aniruddh Sarkar

Institutions: Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Inactivation Methods

Subfield: Biotechnology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,620