Chamber for the treatment of cells in an electrical field

Claim 1

Chamber for the treatment of cells in an electrical field, comprising: a cylindrical internal member having non-conducting walls and an outer cover having non-conducting walls and a cylindrical inner surface which surrounds said internal member, said internal member's cylindrical outer surface having a shape matching said outer cover's cylindrical inner surface, said internal member and said outer cover having dimensions sufficient to form a space therebetween to hold a suspension containing the cells, said space being bound laterally by said internal member and said outer cover, said internal member and said outer cover having a common central longitudinal axis, said outer cover surrounding said internal member at a uniform distance from said central axis, said outer cover having an open end and a closed end, said open end being covered with a seal to enclose said space and said closed end having a second opening, said inner surface of said outer cover being a continuous surface to allow the suspension to flow unimpeded along said inner surface over a straight path from said open end to said closed end; at least two electrodes which extend into said space in such a way that a region bounded by said electrodes is formed between said electrodes, said electrodes developing an electrical field to which said cells are exposed, said electrodes extending into the space and surrounding the internal member by being wound around said internal member as a double helix with each of said wound electrodes having a constant pitch so that the region bounded by the electrodes forms a region in which the cells may be treated; an accessory vessel having an opening through which fused cells can pass, said vessel being removably connected to and contiguous with a bottom surface of the outer cover so that the opening of said vessel communicates with said second opening.