WEB-037Original text reviewed
18 GHz: membrane uptake in human and mouse cells
The reported finding
Substance uptake depended on frequency and field strength and was most efficient at 18 GHz. Dyes, peptides and antibody constructs entered cells.
Reading it carefully
High local fields in a purpose-built transfection device. High survival under selected conditions and lack of a corresponding genotoxic signal must be retained; uptake alone is not injury.
Inside the study
Technology connection
18 GHz overlaps frequencies used for some satellite links. This is a laboratory membrane experiment, with different intensity, geometry and waveform from satellite exposure.
Publication type
Original journal research
Exposure conditions
5.8, 10 and 18 GHz; typically 10 min, with 10–15 min delivery protocols; local fields approximately 30–150 V/cm in the survival comparison.
Design & controls
HeLa and mouse C2C12 cells; coplanar-waveguide poration device, microscopy, survival and genotoxicity assays.
Statistics
See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.
Related research & shared cohorts
The protection question raised
Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?
Source verification
Original methods/results and interpretation reviewed; raw data and supplements were not independently audited.
Where to find the result
Original methods and results
Editorial notices
Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.
Funding
See original disclosure; funding details were not established in this check.
Conflicts of interest
Authors report no competing interests/conflicts; declaration checked, not independently audited.
Original publication
Manuela Milden-Appel; Markus Paravicini; Jannick P Milden; Martin Schüßler; Rolf Jakoby; M Cristina Cardoso. Uptake of substances into living mammalian cells by microwave induced perturbation of the plasma membrane. Scientific reports. 2024. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-71401-7.