Molecular biology method

Electroporation

A technique in which electric pulses, in kilovolts per centimeter and of microsecond-to-millisecond duration, cause a loss of the semipermeability of CELL MEMBRANES, thus leading to ion leakage, escape of metabolites, and increased uptake by cells of drugs, molecular probes, and DNA. Depending on the dosage, the formation of openings in the cell membranes caused by the electric pulses may or may not be reversible.