Surface-Engineered Filtration Device with Silver Nanoparticle–Silane Modifications for Enhanced Intracellular Delivery and Cell Transfection

Despite promising therapeutic outcomes from cellular and gene therapies (CGTs), their widespread clinical application remains limited by the high costs and technical complexities of conventional transfection methods. We present an optimized filtration-driven membrane poration platform that addresses key limitations of conventional methods. Our approach employs sequential surface modifications of filter paper with silver nanoparticles and silane coating to create controlled cell-material interactions. The AgNP coating enhances mechanical properties and enables controlled membrane poration through both physical interactions and silver ion effects, while the subsequent silane modification stabilizes AgNP attachment and introduces hydrophobic properties that improve cell recovery. Further enhancement through methylcellulose-enriched buffer creates synergistic effects with the hydrophobic surfaces, optimizing membrane disruption and cell passage. The optimized system demonstrates an 8.32-fold higher yield compared to unmodified filters, successfully delivering large macromolecules and functional plasmid DNA into adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). Our platform offers significant advantages including rapid operation (∼2 min), minimal equipment requirements, high cell viability (>80%), compatibility with diverse cargo types, and difficult-to-transfect mesenchymal stem cells. The system achieves a 9.67% yield using an optimized configuration, presenting a cost-effective and accessible alternative that could potentially accelerate CGT for large-scale screening applications and resource-limited laboratories.