An electroporation chip based on flexible microneedle array for in vivo nucleic acid delivery

This paper reports a flexible microneedle array (MNA) electroporation chip for in vivo nucleic acid delivery, which is of great importance for gene therapy. Silicon MNA is proposed to penetrate the high-resistant stratum corneum, while a flexible parylene substrate is used to fit the natural shape of electroporated objects. The chip provides a sufficient electrical field beneath the skin for electroporation with low voltage, which is less likely to harm tissues. Using the proposed chip, we successfully achieved plasmid DNA expression and siRNA delivery in living tissue with low voltage (30-40V). Neither physical nor biological harm to skin was observed.