title: Electroporation-based technologies for medicine: principles, applications, and challenges.
abstract: When high-amplitude, short-duration pulsed electric fields are applied to cells and tissues, the permeability of the cell membranes and tissue is increased. This increase in permeability is currently explained by the temporary appearance of aqueous pores within the cell membrane, a phenomenon termed electroporation. During the past four decades, advances in fundamental and experimental electroporation research have allowed for the translation of electroporation-based technologies to the clinic. In this review, we describe the theory and current applications of electroporation in medicine and then discuss current challenges in electroporation research and barriers to a more extensive spread of these clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Engineering in Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Burn Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts 02114; email (M.L.Y.): ireis@sbi.org.
authors.forename: Martin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yarmush
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golberg
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serša
authors.forename: Tadej
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kotnik
authors.forename: Damijan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miklavčič
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D017097:Electric Impedance; D053672:Electrochemotherapy; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010539:Permeability; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
keywords: DNA vaccination; electrochemotherapy; electropermeabilization; gene electrotransfer; irreversible electroporation; pulsed electric field