COST Action TD1104: European Network for Development of Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments

Abstract

Exposure of biological cells to a sufficiently strong external electric field results in increased permeability of cell membranes, referred to as electroporation. Since all types of cells can be effectively electroporated. Electroporation has become a widely used technology applicable to e.g. cancer treatment, gene transfection, food and biomass processing, and microbial inactivation. However, despite significant progress of electroporation-based applications, there is a lack of coordination and interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge between researchers from different scientific domains. This COST Action aims at: (i) providing necessary steps towards cooperation in science and technology to foster basic understanding of electroporation, (ii) improving communication between research groups, resulting in streamlining R&D activities in the field of electroporation, and (iii) enabling further development of new and existing electroporation-based applications by integrating multidisciplinary research teams. Results of this COST Action will provide multiple societal, scientific, and technological benefits from improving existing electroporationbased applications and adding new ones in the field of medicine, biotechnology and environment preservation.