Details
Tweezertrodes electrodes are reusable non-invasive, tweezer-style electrodes for drug or gene delivery in animal tissues.Tweezertrodes may be used for many in vivo applications, including in utero and ex-vivo gene transfection, eletroporation therapy, and transdermal drug delivery.
Tweezertrodes consist of a standard 11.5 cm tweezer that has been modified with stainless steel circular or disk electrodes at the tip. The gap between the electrodes disks may be adjusted from under 1 mm to over 2 cm. Tweezertrodes are available in various sizes and two different metal alloys either platinum or stainless steel. Platinum Tweezertrodes are available in 7 mm, 5 mm, 3 mm and 1 mm diameters and stainless steel are available as either 10 mm or 7 mm diameters.
Triple Tweezertrodes have three electrode contacts with adjustable position and polarities. This type of triple electrode been shown to improve the efficiency of electrical field distribution for in utero electroporation applications.
These electrodes connect to BTX generators using the Tweezertrode Connection cables (45-0204), and are compatible with the ECM 830, ECM 2001+, Gemini X2, and Legacy ECM 2001 generators. The Anode (+, red cable) of the Tweezertrode electrode corresponds to the side of the Tweezertrode with the blue adjusting screw on it.
Tweezertrodes may be cleaned with a mild detergent and sterilized with 70% ethanol or ethylene oxide.
APPLICATIONS & USE
Following localized or systemic injection of the molecule of interest, the Tweezertrode electrode disks are used to grasp the tissue of interest. An electroporation pulse is then applied; initiating pore formation and incorporation of the molecule into the cells of the tissue in direct contact with the electrode disk.
Tweezertrodes can be used to facilitate localized electroporation of various preparations. Application of these electrodes for in utero transfection, transdermal drug delivery and electroporation therapy have been described. Tweezertrodes have proven particular useful for embryonic or even spermatogonial cell electroporation for effective production of transgenic and knockout mice. The design of the Tweezetrodes is also particular suited for zebrafish applications for studies aiming to rapidly
study gene function in whole organism.
REQUIRED CABLES
Required for connection to Gemini X2 and ECM 830 | |
45-0204 | Adapter Banana Plug Cables, Red and Black |
Required for connection to ECM 2001+ | |
45-0204 | Adapter Banana Plug Cables, Red and Black |
45-0088 | Female/Female Adapter Set for Banana Plug Cables |
45-2057 or 45-2058 | ECM 2001+ HV Output Cable, 5 ft or 10 ft length |
Required for connection to Legacy ECM 2001 | |
45-0204 | Adapter Banana Plug Cables, Red and Black |
45-0088 | Female/Female Adapter Set for Banana Plug Cables |
45-0083 | Coaxial to Banana Plug Cables, Red and Black, 10 ft |
USE OF TWEEZERTRODES WITH THE GEMINI X2 AND ECM 830 ELECTROPORATION SYSTEMS
In this example, the Gemini X2 generator is connected using the sequence of cables and adapters illustrated below, then connected to the Tweezertrodes Electrode.
+ | ||
Gemini X2 System | 45-0204 Female/Female Adapters + Selected Tweezertrode Electrode |
USE OF TWEEZERTRODES WITH ECM 2001+ ELECTROFUSION AND ELECTROPORATION SYSTEM
In this example, the ECM 2001+ generator is connected using the sequence of cables and adapters illustrated below, then connected to the Tweezertrodes electrode.
+ | + | + | ||||
ECM 2001+ System | 45-2057 or 45-2058 HV Output Cable | 45-0088 Female/Female Adapters | 45-0204 Tweezertrode cable Adapters + Selected Tweezertrode Electrode |
USE OF TWEEZERTRODES WITH THE LEGACY ECM 2001 ELECTRO CELL FUSION & ELECTROPORATION SYSTEM
In this example, the Legacy ECM 2001 generator is connected using the sequence of cables and adapters illustrated below, then connected to the Tweezertrodes Electrode.
+ | + | + | ||||
Legacy ECM 2001 System | 45-0083 Coaxial Cables | 45-0083 Coaxial Cables | 45-0204 Tweezertrode Cable Adapters + Selected Tweezertrode Electrode |
Standard Capabilities
Generator Compatibility | ECM 830, ECM 2001, Gemini X2 |
Voltage Range | 0 to 200 VDC (do not use AC current) |
Pulse Length Range | 1 μs to 200 ms |
Pulse Number Range | 1 to 99 (depending on voltage) |
Operating Temperature | 5oC to 40oC |
Intended Use | For research use only |
Relative Humidity | 20 to 80% |
Item # | Electrode Diameter | Electrode Materials |
45-0118 | 7 mm | Stainless Steel |
45-0119 | 10 mm | Stainless Steel |
45-0486 | 1 mm | Platinum |
45-0487 | 3 mm | Platinum |
45-0488 | 7 mm | Platinum |
45-0489 | 5 mm | Platinum |
- In vivo drug or gene delivery
- Ex vivo drug or gene delivery
- In utero drug or gene delivery
Application Note: CRISPR Gene Editing of Developing Brain In Utero
REFERENCES
1. Shi W, et al., Generation of sp3111 transgenic RNAi mice via permanent integration of small hairpin RNAs in repopulating spermatogonial cells in vivo. Acad Biochem Biophys Sci 2010, vol. 42, Issue 2, 116-121
2. Antonio and Mallamaci et al., Promotion of embryonic cortico-cerebral neurogenesis by miR-124. Nerual Development 2009-4:40.
3. Alexander T. Chesler et al. Selective Gene Expression by Postnatal Electroporation during Olfactory Intraneruon neruogenesis. PloS ONE 3(1): e1517. doi: 10.1371/Journal. Pone 0001517, 2008.
4. N. Nadhusudhana Rao et al. Electroporation of Adult Zebrafish, S.Li (ed) Electroporation Protocols preclinical and Clinical Gene Medicine. In Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 423 Humana Press 2008.
5. Dhup S. Majumdar et al. Transgenesis via permanent integration of genes in repopulating spermatogonial cells in vivo. Nature Methods 2008.
6. D. DePietri Tonelli et al. Single-Cell Detection of Micro RNAs in Developing Vertebrate Embryos after Acute Administration of a Dual Fluorescence reporter/sensor plasmid. Biotechniques: 41: 727-732, 2006
7. Sato et al. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 61: 49-56 (2002).
8. Saito and Nakatsuji, Developmental Biology, 240: 237-246 (2001).