Electroporation

Electroporation, also known as electropermeabilization, is a microbiological and biotechnological technique in which an electric field is applied to cells to briefly increase the permeability of the cell membrane. The application of a high-voltage electric field induces a temporary destabilization of the lipid bilayer, resulting in the formation of nanoscale pores that permit the entry or exit of macromolecules.

This method is widely employed to introduce molecules—including small molecules, DNA, RNA, and proteins—into cells. Electroporation can be performed on cells in suspension using electroporation cuvettes, or directly on adherent cells in situ within their culture vessels.

In microbiology, electroporation is frequently utilized for the transformation of bacteria or yeast cells, often with plasmid DNA. It is also used in the transfection of plant protoplasts and mammalian cells. Notably, electroporation plays a critical role in the ex vivo manipulation of immune cells for the development of cell-based therapies, such as CAR T-cell therapy. Moreover, in vivo applications of electroporation have been successfully demonstrated in various tissue types.

Bulk electroporation confers advantages over other physical delivery methods, including microinjection and gene gun techniques. However, it is limited by reduced cell viability. To address these issues, researchers have developed miniaturized approaches such as micro-electroporation and nanotransfection. These techniques utilize nanochannel-mediated electroporation to deliver molecular cargo to cells in a more controlled and less invasive manner.

Alternative methods for intracellular delivery include the use of cell-penetrating peptides, cell squeezing techniques, and chemical transformation, with selection depending on the specific cell type and cargo characteristics.

Electroporation is also employed to induce cell fusion. A prominent application of cell fusion is hybridoma technology, where antibody-producing B lymphocytes are fused with immortal myeloma cell lines to produce monoclonal antibodies.