Large-Scale Nanofiber Manufacturing| Photothermalnanofiber-mediated photoporation forgentle and efficientintracellular deliveryofmacromolecules

Professor Xiong Ranhua (Nanjing Forestry University) Nat. Protoc.: Photothermal Electrospun Nanofibers for Efficient Intracellular Delivery

Challenge: Photothermal nanoparticles (NPs) can enrich at cell surfaces for photoporation, using transient photothermal effects to gently deliver biomacromolecules into live cells. However, this technique relies on direct NP-cell contact, posing safety and regulatory challenges in clinical applications (e.g., autologous immune T-cell engineering for cancer therapy).

Approach: Professor Xiong Ranhua proposed a photothermal electrospun nanofiber (PEN)-mediated photoporation technology. By embedding photothermal NPs into electrospun nanofibers as cell culture substrates, it induces cell membrane poration via photothermal effects for efficient biomolecule delivery across cell types.

Innovation 1: Incorporating photothermal NPs into biocompatible electrospun nanofibers avoids direct NP-cell contact, significantly mitigating safety concerns.

Innovation 2: Compared to electroporation, PEN photoporation is gentler, yielding higher-quality engineered cells with greater therapeutic potential.