Nucleofector Technology
BioTether Sciences has a Lonza 4D-Nucleofector with X unit. This device enables users to efficiently transfect immortalized cells, primary cells, stem cells and other hard to transfect cell lines with high efficiency. Experiments are designed to use the standard cuvette or a 16 strip microcuvette. The X unit can electroporate 2 standard cuvettes at the same time, and both are able to be programmed independently from each other. The 16 strip microcuvette is great for optimization, and each microcuvette can be programmed independently as well. This allows for optimization of electroporation conditions to identify the highest efficiency (up to 90%) and lowest mortality. Cell functionality is also conserved.
The 4D-Nucleofector™ System was developed to offer advanced performance, flexibility and convenience for cell transfection purposes. The system has a modular architecture that allows seamless expansion of the system: it comprises a base core unit and functional units to suit your application of interest. Lonza provides over 160 optimized protocols and transfection kits.
The 4D-Nucleofector™ X-Unit is the most flexible unit and supports nucleofection of various cell numbers in different formats, as it is equipped with a strip position (16-well strip format) and 2 cuvette positions. This allows you to be flexible in the transfection of your cell type of interest, using a smaller volume or a higher volume. The X-Unit features positions for 20µl Nucleocuvette™ strips (for low cell numbers down to 2 x 10^4) and 100 μl single Nucleocuvette™ (for cell numbers up to 2 x 10^7). Different Nucleofection Vessels allow for flexible throughput from 1 to 16 samples. The system provides seamless transfer of conditions between different Nucleofection Vessels: same protocol can be used for use of the strips and the cuvettes.
At BioTether Sciences we use the Lonza Nucleofector 4D system for delivery of plasmids, siRNA oligonucleotides, gRNA, RNP and proteins to a variety of cell types. The system allows for high efficiency delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 RNPs for gene modification. The use of RNPs can reduce off target editing and in hard to transfect cell lines and primary cells, reduce toxicity. For instance, we use the Nucleofector 4D for gene knock-out studies. The high efficiency delivery helps get us a step closer to obtaining a pure population of knock-out cells, especially when combined with our cell separation technologies.