Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a clinical application of electroporation in which locally applied electric fields are used to create reversible nanoscale defects in cell membranes. The defects increase membrane permeability and allow the increased transport of chemotherapy drugs into the cells.
In new research, ECT treatment planning technology devised by researchers from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia has been extended for application to other electroporation-based therapies. The technology can now be used for irreversible electroporation (IRE), a tissue ablation method where stronger fields induce permanent membrane defects and cell death, and gene electrotransfer for gene therapy and gene vaccination (GET), where DNA is transported into cells.
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