Research Programme: Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments (2022-2027) |
| Programme head: | Prof. Damijan Miklavčič, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering |
| Funding: | Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), Slovenia |
| Code: | P2-0249 |
The project is funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS).
- Member of University of Ljubljana
- Code
- P2-0249
- Project
- Research Programme: Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments
- Period
- 1.1.2022 - 31.12.2027
- Amount of financing
- 2,79 FTE
- Head
- Research activity
- Engineering sciences and technologies - Systems and cybernetics
- Research Organisation
- Abstract
Electroporation is a well established method used to increase permeability of the cell plasma membrane for molecules otherwise deprived of membrane transport mechanisms, by an externally applied electrical field. Its broad spectrum of applications extends into different fields, such as medicine, biotechnology, environmental sciences. Experimentation with wide ranges of parameters of applied electric pulses has in the past led to the discovery and development of a number of electroporation-based technologies and treatments. These include cancer treatments, gene therapy, tissue ablation, cell fusion, food preservation and processing, and water treatment, to name only few. Current knowledge about the phenomenon involved in plasma membrane electroporation, transmembrane transport of molecules and other accompanying phenomena is, however, still incomplete. Vast majority of the protocols based on electroporation used in biomedicine, food processing, and biotechnology are determined experimentally. There is a definitive need for better understanding of the phenomena involved and further development and refinement of protocols, which will allow us to fine-tune the processes and treatments based on electroporation. The research group proposing this research programme has, for over a decade, been one of the leading groups in the area of electroporation, achieving this status by its unique and markedly interdisciplinary composition. This wealth of complementary knowledge gives the group an opportunity to address the topic of electroporation and its applications from various angles, through experimentation and concurrent development of hardware and mathematical models on different levels of biological complexity: from lipid bilayers, vesicles, cells, to tissues and organs. In the proposed research programme, the joint efforts of our interdisciplinary team will be dedicated to the use of existing facilities and various prototypes of electroporation devices to advance the knowledge of basic principles of electroporation, with the aim to improve existing electroporation technologies and treatments, and develop new applications.
- Researchers
- The phases of the project and their realization
N/A
- Citations for bibliographic records
List of Publications is available from our Publications page.