Projects / Programmes
Electric properties and permeabilization of cells exposed to high-voltage pulses
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.06.00 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Systems and cybernetics |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| T115 |
Technological sciences |
Medical technology |
| B140 |
Biomedical sciences |
Clinical physics, radiology, tomography, medical instrumentation |
electroporation, electrochemotherapy, gene therapy, bioimpedance, cell suspension
Researchers (2)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
10268 |
PhD Damijan Miklavčič |
Systems and cybernetics |
Head |
2004 - 2006 |
1,505 |
| 2. |
19225 |
PhD Mojca Pavlin |
Systems and cybernetics |
Researcher |
2004 - 2006 |
262 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Exposure of a cell to strong electric field can result in increased membrane permeability for ions and molecules. This phenomenon, usually referred to as electroporation or electropermeabilization, has many significant biological and medical applications including transfer of genes, transdermal drug delivery and electrochemotherapy of tumors. For the application of electroporation the parameters of the electric pulses have to be optimized in order to obtain a relatively high yield of viable permeabilized cells. As the range of optimal parameters is relatively narrow it would be important to monitor the extent of permeabilized tissue in real-time for clinical use of gene therapy and electrochemotherapy. In several studies authors observed a dramatic increase in conductivity in single cells, cell pellets and cell suspensions during the exposure to high-voltage pulses. Also in some preliminary studies in vivo the increase in conductivity was observed above the threshold for electroporation. Nevertheless, the complex structure of tissue makes the interpretation of measurements difficult. For this reason it is important to verify the hypothesis of the relation between the conductivity change and the extent of permeabilization on a dense suspension of cells, which is more homogeneous and controllable system. The goal of this project is to investigate experimentally and theoretically different processes, which contribute to increased permeability for molecules and ions during cell electroporation. We will analyze the relation between these processes and investigate the possibility of monitoring cell electroporation by means of measuring electric properties. The electric properties of a cell cells suspension will be measured by current-voltage measurements during and impedance measurement before and after the application of high-voltage pulses. We will use combination of pulses which are frequently used for electrochemotherapy and electrogene transfection. At the same time also the percentage of permeabilized cells and cells viability will be determined. In addition, visual changes of cells will be monitored by video imaging system. On the basis of the experimental results different process which are present during electroporation will be analyzed. The fraction of the membrane surface with increased permeability will be estimated, and dynamics of conductivity changes and cells swelling will be determined during and after the application of pulses.
