POS2-0558
Surface-Engineered Nanoneedles via iCVD for Electroporation-Assisted Intracellular Delivery of Gene-Editing Tools
Topic
S2. High-End Characterization/Polymer Physics/Properties
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Hae Jung SON
Boseok KANG
Presenter(s)
Sowon Lee (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
High-aspect-ratio nanoneedles enable direct intracellular delivery of therapeutic biomolecules by physically penetrating the cell membrane. However, efficient delivery of large biomolecules remains challenging because both biomolecule loading and membrane transport must be optimized, while maintaining high cell viability throughout the process. To address these challenges, we developed a surface-engineered nanoneedle electroporation platform based on initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). Silicon nanoneedles were functionalized with a copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) using a solvent-free, low-temperature iCVD process that preserves nanostructure integrity while enabling precise control of surface chemistry. DMAEMA provided quaternary ammonium groups for efficient binding of negatively charged biomolecules, while GMA-containing copolymer coating increased surface hydrophilicity and supported favorable cell-nanoneedle interactions. Combined with localized electroporation, the functionalized nanoneedles enabled efficient intracellular transport of Cas9-encoding plasmids while maintaining high cell viability, with the copolymer coating further enhancing overall delivery performance. These results highlight the potential of the surface-engineered nanoneedle electroporation platform for gene-editing applications.
