Electroacoustic fusion of millilitre volumes of cells in physiological medium.

A technique is described in which erythrocytes suspended in 1.1 ml of 145 mM NaCl, have been fused by electrofusion. The cells in suspension were brought into close contact by setting up a 3 MHz ultrasonic standing wave in a cylindrical cell container. The aluminium foil base of the container served both to transmit ultrasound and as an electrode for electrofusion. The electric pulse was generated by a capacitor discharge system. The electric field strength required to fuse cells increased as the ionic strength of the cell suspending phase increased. Cells in physiological saline fused at an electric field strength of 7.3 kV/cm with a 50 microseconds pulse.