Safe and Efficient CRISPR Genome Editing of Primary Human T Cells Using a Droplet‐Based Cell Mechanoporation Platform

T cell engineering is a transformative strategy for adoptive cell therapy, holding the key to treating a wide array of human diseases. However, clinical translation is limited by current intracellular delivery methods that compromise viability, induce stress responses, and restrict scalability. This study presents a microfluidic droplet mechanoporation system tailored for primary human T cells, enabling efficient, stable, and clinically scalable gene delivery. Delivery of 2000 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran achieves ∼98% efficiency and >90% post-treatment viability, even at high cell densities, supporting the rapid production of therapeutically relevant cell numbers. The platform efficiently delivers mRNA, achieving transfection efficiencies approaching 99%; further, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-encoding mRNA is successfully delivered to generate CAR-expressing T cells with tunable surface expression. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins are effectively delivered for both single and multiplex knockouts (TRAC and PDCD-1), achieving up to a 2.35-fold higher efficiency than electroporation. Longitudinal analyses confirm preserved viability, proliferation, genome integrity, and T cell phenotypic stability. Collectively, these results establish microfluidic droplet mechanoporation as a safe, efficient, and scalable platform for the clinical manufacturing of engineered T cell therapies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202512553
Primary Topic
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Safe and Efficient CRISPR Genome Editing of Primary Human T Cells Using a Droplet‐Based Cell Mechanoporation Platform

Aram J. Chung, You‐Jeong Kim, Sungwon Bang
Small
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
article

Safe and Efficient CRISPR Genome Editing of Primary Human T Cells Using a Droplet‐Based Cell Mechanoporation Platform

Aram J. Chung, You‐Jeong Kim, Sungwon Bang
article en

Abstract

T cell engineering is a transformative strategy for adoptive cell therapy, holding the key to treating a wide array of human diseases. However, clinical translation is limited by current intracellular delivery methods that compromise viability, induce stress responses, and restrict scalability. This study presents a microfluidic droplet mechanoporation system tailored for primary human T cells, enabling efficient, stable, and clinically scalable gene delivery. Delivery of 2000 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran achieves ∼98% efficiency and >90% post-treatment viability, even at high cell densities, supporting the rapid production of therapeutically relevant cell numbers. The platform efficiently delivers mRNA, achieving transfection efficiencies approaching 99%; further, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-encoding mRNA is successfully delivered to generate CAR-expressing T cells with tunable surface expression. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins are effectively delivered for both single and multiplex knockouts (TRAC and PDCD-1), achieving up to a 2.35-fold higher efficiency than electroporation. Longitudinal analyses confirm preserved viability, proliferation, genome integrity, and T cell phenotypic stability. Collectively, these results establish microfluidic droplet mechanoporation as a safe, efficient, and scalable platform for the clinical manufacturing of engineered T cell therapies.

Small
Korea University (KR), 490 BioTech (United States) (US), Department of Public (IN)
National Research Foundation, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, Samsung
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
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