Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Biphasic Gene Electrotransfer Enhances Gene Delivery In Vitro, John Bui

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The application of short, pulsed electric fields to eukaryotic cells and tissues has been shown to permeabilize cells. This phenomenon has been used for clinical applications for irreversible electroporation of cancer cells or for molecule delivery for drug or gene therapies. Typically, a monophasic (monopolar) pulse train is used; however, recent studies have explored the possibility of using biphasic (often referred to as bipolar) pulses, primarily for irreversible electroporation (IRE), which report reduced muscle contraction during pulse train application compared to monophasic pulses. Additional studies show improved transfection efficiency using biphasic pulses, conversely, with low cell viability. The purpose of …