# Adaptable and scalable electroporation for cellular therapy

> **NIH NIH R43** · CYTEQUEST, INC. · 2022 · $275,223

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cellular therapies have demonstrated the potential to treat a variety of inherited and acquired
diseases, but the first generation of approved cell therapies rely on viral vectors for cellular
reprogramming. Viral vectors are recognized as a bottleneck in the development of these
therapies and other delivery methods, like electroporation, are being clinically investigated. To
address limitations in existing electroporation technology, CyteQuest is developing a simple,
scalable electroporation platform to optimize transfection parameters and deliver cargo
efficiently and reproducibly at high throughput. CyteQuest’s platform consists of a planar flow
chip with a thin slab geometry that ensures that cells are subject to a uniform electrical field for
reproducible electroporation. The flow cell geometry allows for seamless scaling to a high-
volume system for delivery at clinical scale. The key objectives of this proposal are to: (1)
demonstrate high-efficiency delivery of clinically relevant cargo including CRISPR/Cas9
ribonucleoprotein complexes to primary human T cells, and (2) construct a prototype large-
volume electroporation flow system compatible with the volumetric throughput required for
cellular therapy in a clinical setting. CyteQuest will demonstrate that the optimized
electroporation parameters of the small volume system can be used directly in the high-volume
system with less than 5% variation in the biomolecular delivery efficiency and cell viability. The
high-volume electroporation flow system can be manufactured in a process that is cost-effective
and robust. CyteQuest ultimately aims to use this novel platform in conjunction with
CRISPR/Cas9 technology as a therapeutic application for adoptive cell therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10545845
- **Project number:** 1R43GM148147-01
- **Recipient organization:** CYTEQUEST, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** HAROLD G CRAIGHEAD
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $275,223
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10545845

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10545845, Adaptable and scalable electroporation for cellular therapy (1R43GM148147-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10545845. Licensed CC0.

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