| abstract |
A minimally invasive penetrating microelectrode array is used to generate localized electric field "hotspots" for delivering biomolecules, such as nucleic acid or protein molecules, into cells located in the epidermal or dermal layer of the skin via transient membrane permeabilization. The "hotspots" can be controlled by selectively insulating the penetrating microelectrodes at specific regions. The portion of microelectrodes that are not covered with insulation coating can be coated with nucleic acid or protein vaccine vector, or other biomolecules to be delivered. Upon insertion into the skin, an anchor microelectrode region mechanically anchors the penetrating microelectrode to position the target tissue microelectrode region, so as to selectively align the biomolecule coating with cells located in the tissue location. The biomolecule coating will dissolve when in contact with surrounding tissue. By applying an electrical pulse, the biomolecules can be delivered into surrounding cells. |