High-frequency submicrosecond electroporator

Abstract

In this work, we present a novel electroporator which is capable of generating single and bursts of high power (3 kV, 60 A) square wave pulses of variable duration (100 ns to 1 ms) with predefined repetition frequency (1 Hz to 3.5 MHz). The proposed synchronized crowbar implementation ensures a constant pulse rise and fall times, which are independent from the load, thus highly relevant in electroporation. The electroporator was successfully tested for the inactivation of the human pathogen Candida albicans. The device is compatible with standard commercial electroporation cuvettes.