AgilePulse In Vivo ID (Intra-Dermal) System – Witec AG

The AgilePulse In Vivo System, used for vaccine development and gene therapy, provides an intra-dermal electroporation solution to produce maximum transfection efficiency.

Traditional DNA vaccine delivery systems, such as gene gun delivery, suffer from poor efficiency. The AgilePulse In Vivo System effectively introduces DNA vaccines, representing a powerful and safe means for stimulating an immune response that recognizes and eliminates target molecules in the body.

For vaccine applications, DNA vaccination through the dermal layer is preferred since it is an easily accessible site that is immunologically active. After direct injection of plasmid DNA in the dermal layer, a programmed sequence of electric pulses is applied through a miniature parallel needle electrode array to promote cellular uptake and transfection. Cells in the surrounding tissue are transfected, including dendritic antigen-presenting cells and mesenchymal origin cells. Gene expression simulates the immune system to respond to the secreted antigen. Gene expression in skin is 100-fold higher when delivery is enhanced by electroporation compared to simply injecting plasmid DNA (Roos, et. al. 2009).

Features

• Simple User Interface—touch screen user interface, USB key data storage, and Windows® Mobile 6.0 operating system. The system automatically stores a digitized record of all pulse parameters for quality control. EN 60601-1, EN 60601-1-1 EN 60601-1-2, UL60601-1 and CSA601.1 compliant.
• Pulse Agile® Advantage—patented Pulse Agile technology combines a unique sequence of short, high-intensity pulses to open pores in cell membranes, followed by long, low-intensity pulses to further drive the DNA into cells via electrophoresis. The adjustable pulses improve efficiency while maintaining cell viability. The specialized use of the Pulse Agile waveform has shown to significantly enhance antigen specific CD8+ T-cell response when standard protocols do not.
• Uniform, Reliable Electroporation—AgilePulse parallel-needle arrays produce uniform electric fields across the treatment area for a more thorough transfection of the tissue. Electrode impedance is monitored through software analysis to ensure reliable electrode placement in tissue each and every time.
• Simple, Fast Treatment—simple yet effective intra-dermal or intramuscular electrode design allows for shorter delivery times of less than a second. The electrodes provide a uniform pulse to cover and target larger areas of tissue using a single pulsing application.
• Optimal Design—miniature, 2-mm length needles easily penetrate the layers of skin or muscle and target cells for high efficiency gene delivery.
• Safety—Each needle electrode array comes with a safety cover and easy grip sides to make the electrode insertion procedure simple and safe.

The AgilePulse In Vivo system (formerly the DermaVax device) can be used for veterinary (research use only) and human tissue (research use only) applications.