A method of lithographic masking for spatially localized biochemical stimulus delivery, comprising the steps of providing a group of cells on a substrate, coating a layer of gelatin on a portion of the cells, creating a mask layer on a portion of the layer of gelatin on a portion of the cells, and creating an area of masked cells and an area of unmasked cells. Further, the method can include delivering a biochemical signal to the area of unmasked cells, removing the mask layer, and allowing the cells with the biochemical signal and the cells without the biochemical signal to interact freely.

The invention relates to a bioreactor including: a light source (200); a light sensor (300) facing said light source; a vat (100) that is placed between the light source (200) and the light sensor (300), said vat being intended to receive a culture medium comprising a cellular culture of photosynthetic microorganisms; a controller (400) connected to the light sensor (300) in order to control the vat (100) to obtain a chosen cellular-culture concentration (xi) in the culture medium during a working period, said light source (200) being capable of emitting incident light (L) of an input light intensity (Iin) in the direction of the vat (100), and the light sensor (300) being capable of measuring an output light intensity (Iout) and of transmitting data relating to this intensity (Iout) to the controller for the control of the vat; and a system (500) for controlling the light source (200), this system being arranged to adjust, during a period shorter than or equal to said working period, the input light intensity (Iin) to a setpoint value allowing a cellular stress to be induced in certain at least of said photosynthetic microorganisms.

The present disclosure relates to a high throughput, scalable system for electroporation of biological cells. The two part system comprises an electroporation reaction array that interfaces with a control unit, providing electrical pulse, temperature control, and mixing of the sample contents. The control unit automates the entire process; electroporation, cell recovery and outgrowth are performed in a electroporation array assembly. The bottom of each reaction well of the electroporation array assembly contains a pair of coplanar electrodes. The bottom surface containing the electrodes is treated in a way to render it hydrophilic. This results in increased wetting of the electrodes thereby increasing transformation efficiency. The electrode configuration allows for processing of smaller sample volumes, reducing the consumption of expensive biological reagents by several orders of magnitude compared to conventional cuvette-based electroporation devices.

The present invention provides a cell stimulation device capable of uniformly electrically stimulating cells intended to be electrically stimulated, and of preventing medium components from decomposing and depositing. [Solution] The cell stimulation device according to the present invention is intended to stimulate the cells being cultured in a culture medium, and is characterized in that the cell stimulation device includes an electron emission element for feeding electric charges to the culture medium via a gas phase, and an electric charge collecting electrode for collecting the electric charges from the culture medium, the electron emission element includes a lower electrode, a surface electrode, and an intermediate layer disposed between the lower electrode and the surface electrode, and the electric charge collecting electrode is disposed so as to be contactable with the culture medium.

The present disclosure is drawn to microfluidic cellular membrane modification devices. In one example, a microfluidic cellular membrane modification device can include a microfluidic channel including a pumping portion and an electric field portion. An electrode pair can be positioned about the electric field portion. A bidirectional pump can be in fluid communication with the microfluidic channel at the pumping portion to move fluid backward and forward through the electric field portion.

A millifluidic device for cultures of biological agents comprising: a main body (11) comprising at least a first hole (40) closed at the bottom; a separator (35); a membrane (36) fixed to said separator (35); a plug (15) closing said first hole (40); said separator (35) designed to be placed in said first hole (40); said separator (35) being extractable from said first hole (40); said membrane (36) divides said first hole (40 ) into an upper half-chamber and a lower half-chamber; a pair of tubes (25) to perfuse said lower half-chamber; a pair of tubes (26) to perfuse said upper half-chamber; a first slide (22) placed centrally on said plug (15); a second slide (42) placed centrally on said first hole (40); a cylindrical body (41) rises from said first hole (40) and said second slide (42) is placed on the top of said cylindrical body (41); said cylindrical body (41) has a second hole (43), coaxial to said cylindrical body (41).

A power converter for a bioelectrochemical system includes first converters each including a direct current terminal for supplying electric current via electrodes of the bioelectrochemical system, and a second converter for supplying energy to the first converters from an external electric power grid. Each first converter includes an electric element for receiving energy from the second converter and a circuitry for converting voltage of the electric element into electrolysis voltage suitable for the bioelectrochemical system. The electric element can be a secondary winding of a transformer or a direct voltage energy storage. Each first converter is galvanically isolated from the other first converters at least when the first mentioned first converter supplies energy to the bioelectrochemical system. Thus, each first converter drives its own electrode pair without disturbing the other first converters.

A method of inducing expression of a calcium channel and/or a calcium pump in a cell includes: irradiating the cell with light in a wavelength range of 315-325 nm. The calcium channel and/or the calcium pump is/are at least one selected from the group consisting of dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR), voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC), ryanodine receptor (RYR), and sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca.sup.2+-ATPase (SERCA).

A high-density distributed three-dimensional electrode device and an associated electroporation method is provided. The method includes applying an electric pulse of a first polarity to a first group of electrodes while simultaneously applying an electrical pulse of a second polarity to a remaining group of electrodes, and then applying an electric pulse of the first polarity on a second group of electrodes while simultaneously applying an electric pulse of the second polarity to the remaining groups of electrodes. The electrodes receiving the electric pulse of the first polarity being surrounded by the electrodes receiving the electric pulse of the second polarity, and the first polarity and the second polarity are opposite.

A microelectrode for electroporating an individual cell or embryo that includes a substrate with an electrically insulated surface, a first electrode adjacent to the electrically insulated surface of the substrate, a second electrode adjacent to the electrically insulated surface of the substrate and separated from the first electrode a predetermined distance so as to form a channel, and a liquid medium situated within the channel. The liquid medium is capable of fluidic transport of the cell or embryo through or into the channel and capable of supporting an electric field. The first and second electrodes include surfaces substantially orthogonal to the electrically insulated surface of the substrate with an edge length that is less than or equal to a diameter of the cell or embryo. The predetermined distance may be 50% to 200% of the diameter of the cell or embryo.