Gene Delivery to Mammalian Cells by Microinjection

Microinjection—that is, the direct-pressure injection of a solution into a cell through a glass capillary—is an effective and reproducible method for introducing exogenous material into cells in culture. The method has been in existence almost as long as there have been microscopes to observe the process. Barber (1,2) first described the technique that forms the basis for today’s microinjection applications. Described here is a simple method for microinjecting individual adherent cells in culture. This application may be used for microinjecting the myriad mammalian cell types that may be encountered in this field.