WORKFLOW KIT · CELL ENGINEERING

T Cell Functional Enhancement Kit

Deliver cytokine armoring, gene KOs, and functional enhancers into primary human T cells — in a single boost.

Every kit includes: Portal-sourced RNA · Optimized protocols · MicroBooster™ cartridges · Suggested readouts · Reagents

Upgrade your workflow

Co-deliver mRNA, siRNA, CRISPR RNP, and proteins into the same primary T cell in a single step, without viral vectors or electroporation, so you can arm, edit, and trace cells in one workflow while keeping them healthy.

The problem

Functional enhancement of primary T cells usually means stacking separate steps, one for editing, one for cytokine support, one for a reporter, each with its own viral vector or electroporation hit. Resting T cells are especially hard to engineer, and every added round costs viability and time.

With this kit

Portal's Gateway™ mechanoporation transiently opens primary T cells with a gentle mechanical squeeze, letting you co-deliver mRNA, CRISPR RNP, and tracers together. mRNA expresses within hours and knockouts appear by 24h+, all in unstimulated cells, with a phenotype that stays closer to untouched controls than electroporation.

How the kits work

Every Portal kit runs the same five steps. The cargo and the readout change from kit to kit. The Gateway™ boost stays the same.

Portal has the Solution

Prepare

Cells of choice (iPSC, HeLa, PBMCs…)

Mix

Cells + DEL library

Boost

Gateway™ mechanoporation

Incubate

Allow intracellular interaction

Readout

Selection / sequencing

Unbiased, validated intracellular hits

Multi-cargo

Simultaneous delivery of RNA · RNP · protein

>90%

Post-boost viability reported

Any cargo

Flexible · modular pick-your-own payloads

What's in the kit

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Orci felis morbi viverra morbi volutpat pellentesque vitae.

Available Cargoes

mbIL2
TRAC KO
Perforin
Gzmb
B2M KO

Don't see your cargo? Ask us about custom configurations

Reagents & Consumables

Delivery tracer
MicroBooster™

Protocol & Settings

Step-by-step delivery protocol
Recommended cell concentrations
Suggested assay readouts

Support

Portal RNA sourcing
Optional: hands-on implementation visit

Available Cargoes

mbIL2
TRAC KO
Perforin
Gzmb
B2M KO

Don't see your cargo? Ask us about custom configurations

Reagents & Consumables

Delivery tracer
MicroBooster™

Protocol & Settings

Step-by-step delivery protocol
Recommended cell concentrations
Suggested assay readouts

Support

Portal RNA sourcing
Optional: hands-on implementation visit

Proof Points

Multiplex Delivery

T cells boosted with CRISPR RNP, mRNA, and Dextran together. In unstimulated T cells, ~85.7% were positive for GFP expression, B2M editing, and dextran delivery after a single boost.

Functional Cytotoxicity

T cells engineered with simultaneous circRNA delivery of a CD19 CAR and mbIL-12. Boosted cells co-express both, and cytotoxicity rises with the effector-to-target ratio.

Cytokine Engineering

Engineering TILs to express membrane-bound IL-2 and IL-12 improves expansion and enriches for central-memory-like cells while decreasing terminal-effector-like cells.

Transcriptomic Preservation

Fewer misregulated genes than electroporation at 6h and 24h post-delivery. Mechanoporated T cells stay closer to untouched controls. (DiTommaso et al., 2018, PNAS.)

Broad Compatibility

Portal’s platform supports delivery to a diverse range of cell types and cargoes

Delivery materials

Validated cell types

mRNA, siRNA, saRNA

Proteins & Peptides

CRISPR RNPs

Small Molecules

Polymers

Nanoparticles

Antibodies

Virus

PBMCs

T cells

B cells

NK cells

iPSCs

Monocytes

RBCs

HSCs

Delivery materials

mRNA, siRNA, saRNA

Proteins & Peptides

CRISPR RNPs

Small Molecules

Polymers

Nanoparticles

Antibodies

Virus

Validated cell types

PBMCs

T cells

B cells

NK cells

iPSCs

Monocytes

RBCs

HSCs

See other available kits

Portal — enabling live-cell assays, target engagement, and compound profiling.

Kits include: Optimized protocols · Portal reagents · Delivery cartridges · Suggested readouts

Live-Cell Protein Detection Kit

Solves: Lysis destroys live-cell context
Cargo: Intracellular antibodies (primary & secondary)
Measure endogenous intracellular proteins in live cells (e.g. p-BTK, p-ERK, p-AKT, p-STAT3, p-MET Compatible with Lumit & LgBiT reagents)

READY IN 1 WEEK

Download Info

Live-Cell Target Engagement Kit

Solves: Lysis destroys live-cell context
Cargo: Your tracers (e.g. NanoBRET) and compounds
Live-cell target engagement without lysis
e.g. kinase inhibitor profiling, degrader engagement

READY IN 1 WEEK

Download Info

Surface Antigen Expression Kit

Solves: Expression of surface antigen levels are difficult to modulate in cell lines
Cargo: Custom antigen/receptor RNA — single or combinations
Express any antigen on any cell in hours
e.g. CD19+CD3, BCMA+CD3, HER2+CD3

READY IN 1 WEEK

Download Info

How does mechanoporation work?Cells flow through a constriction slightly smaller than they are, which opens the membrane for a moment. Whatever is in the surrounding buffer diffuses straight into the cytosol, and the cell seals back up. There is no virus, no electrical pulse, and no lipid carrier, so nothing about the cargo has to be re-engineered to get in.

How is it different from electroporation?There is no high-voltage pulse, so the cells stay closer to their untreated state. In CD34+ cells, mechanoporation keeps the transcriptome near baseline while electroporation misregulates genes broadly within hours. It also works in resting cells, so there is no pre-activation step.

What can it deliver?Proteins, antibodies, CRISPR RNPs, mRNA (including unmodified), circRNA, siRNA, peptides, macrocycles, degraders, DELs, and impermeable small molecules. Plasmid DNA is the exception: it reaches the cytosol but not the nucleus.

Can I deliver more than one cargo at once?Yes. A single boost co-delivers several cargos into the same cells. In resting T cells, one boost put a CRISPR RNP, an mRNA, and a dextran into about 89% of cells at once, so an edit, a transgene, and a label can land together instead of in sequential rounds of transfection.

Is the cargo still functional once it is inside?Yes. Delivered degraders drive target degradation, boosted kinase tracers report intracellular target engagement, and delivered mRNA expresses, so the readout reflects what the cargo does rather than just whether it got in.

Do my cells need to be pre-activated?No. Delivery works in resting primary cells, including unstimulated T cells, without a stimulation step.

Which cell types has it been validated in?Primary and stem cells that are usually hard to deliver into, including resting and stimulated T cells, NK cells, B cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, TILs, whole PBMCs, CD34+ HSCs, iPSCs, neurons, and whole blood, alongside common cell lines. Everything runs in suspension.

Ready to run the T Cell Functional Enhancement Kit?

Request the kit and a Portal scientist will spec it for your cells, cargo, and readout.

T Cell Functional Enhancement Kit

Upgrade your workflow

How the kits work

What's in the kit

Proof Points

Multiplex Delivery

Functional Cytotoxicity

Cytokine Engineering

Transcriptomic Preservation

Broad Compatibility

Portal’s platform supports delivery to a diverse range of cell types and cargoes

See other available kits

Live-Cell Protein Detection Kit

Live-Cell Target Engagement Kit

Surface Antigen Expression Kit

Questions before your first run

Ready to run the T Cell Functional Enhancement Kit?