Electroporation based Technologies and Treatments

“Cells can be funny. Try to grow them with a slightly wrong recipe, and they turn over and die. But hit them with an electric field strong enough to knock over a horse, and they do enough things to justify international meetings, to fill a sizeable book, and to lead one to speak of an entirely new technology for cell manipulation.” Adrian Parsegian from the foreword to the Electroporation and Electrofusion in Cell Biology Edited by E. Neumann, A. S. Sowers and C. A. Jordan

Electroporation Electroporation is the permeabilization of the cell membrane due to an applied electric field. As a function of the field amplitude and duration, the permeabilization can be reversible or irreversible.

How electroporation works? High transmembrane potential disrupts lipid bilayer and sets up electric field Pores open for fractions of a second Charged molecules will move down potential gradients and through membrane pores

Electroporation based Technologies and Treatments Molecular cell biology research- transfection Protein insertion into cell membrane Cell fusion Gene expression silencing by siRNA Electrochemotherapy Genetherapy based on electro gene transfer Transdermal drug delivery Biotechnology

Electrochemotherapy = = chemotherapy + electroporation Electric pulse generator Chemotherapeutic surrounds the cells Increased membrane permeability allows access to the cytosol Pores reseal Electrodes time Tumour Electric pulse application Injecting chemotherapeutic

Cell (electro)fusion Monoclonal antibody production Cancer immunotherapy Receptor insertion into membrane Tissue regeneration Research (disease models)