Patent ID: 6699712
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: C12M,Y10S

Abstract:
A chamber for receiving a cuvette containing biological cells and biological molecules and for exposing said cuvette to an electric field to effect entry of said molecules into said cells by electroporation, said chamber comprising:a housing comprising a base and a lid hinge-mounted to said base; a cuvette holder affixed to said base; first and second pairs of electrical leads affixed to said base, each lead of said first pair terminating at a forward end in a spring-loaded forward contact, said forward contacts oriented to jointly grasp and electrically engage a cuvette in said cuvette holder, and said second pair supplied by a high-voltage source, with no electrical connection in said base between said leads of said first pair and said leads of said second pair; and a shunt affixed to said lid and arranged thereon such that opening and closing said lid causes said shunt to pivot between (a) an engagement position when said lid is closed, in which said shunt bridges said first pair of electrical leads to said second pair and thereby forms a high-voltage connection from said second pair through said first pair to said forward contacts of said first pair, and (b) a non-engagement position when said lid is open, in which said first and second pairs are not in electrical contact and said forward contacts are electrically isolated from said high-voltage connection.