EBTT 2013

The meeting

Cell membrane electroporation — mechanisms & applications

Cell membrane electroporation, its mechanisms and applications in biology, medicine and biotechnology. The basis of the phenomena, current applications and future prospects were the main topics of this international meeting — the tenth in the EBTT series (2003–2013).

The postgraduate course was intended both for novices and experts in electroporation, including PhD students, researchers and users. Abstract submission was strongly encouraged and was necessary if credits (5 ECTS) were sought; each participant submitting an abstract also gave a short oral presentation. The course was accredited by the Medical Chamber of Slovenia, so active and passive participants received 20 CME credits.

Organised by the University of Ljubljana and the Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana. Organising committee chair: Peter Kramar. Members: Maša Kandušer, Matej Kranjc, Selma Čorović, Saša Haberl, Duša Hodžić, Bor Kos, Alenka Maček Lebar, Nataša Pavšelj, Marko Ušaj, Jaka Čemažar. · The postgraduate course was co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport within the Operational Programme for Human Resources Development 2007–2013.

Course content

Key lectures & topics

Electrical properties of cells & tissues in electric field

Resting & induced transmembrane voltage; dielectric properties; temperature & conductivity changes.

Physical chemistry of membrane electroporation

Electrochemical membrane thermodynamics; molecular dynamics simulations.

Electroporation in vitro & in vivo — protocols

Electroporation of cells in vitro and in vivo.

Development of devices & electrodes

Devices & electrodes for in vitro/in vivo; tissue models and their validation.

Electrochemotherapy of tumours

Mechanisms, preclinical & clinical use, developments & perspectives.

Application of electroporation in gene transfection

Gene transfection in vitro/in vivo; clinical use in human medicine.

Electroporation in transdermal drug delivery

Gene delivery in the skin; DNA vaccines.

Additional topics

EP-based resource-efficient process development for healthy foods (D. Knorr); microbial inactivation by PEF (J. Raso); DNA-vaccination protocols by electrotransfer (E. Signori); intracellular access by electroporation (J. Weaver).

Faculty

Directors & lecturers

Co-DirectorDamijan Miklavčič

Co-DirectorLluis M. Mir

Faculty members & lectures

Damijan MiklavčičUniversity of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Lluis M. MirCNRS & Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
Eberhard NeumannUniversity of Bielefeld, Germany
Véronique PréatCatholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
Gregor SeršaInstitute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Justin TeissiéCNRS & IPBS, Toulouse, France
P. Thomas VernierUniversity of Southern California, USA

Invited lecturers

Maja ČemažarInstitute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dietrich KnorrBerlin University of Technology, Berlin, Germany
Tadej KotnikUniversity of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Javier RasoUniversity of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
Marie-Pierre RolsCNRS & IPBS, Toulouse, France
Mounir TarekUniversité Henri-Poincaré, Nancy, France
Emanuela SignoriCampus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy
James WeaverHarvard–MIT, Cambridge, USA

Hands-on

Practical work & exercises

Wet-lab, computer-modelling and e-learning sessions. Participants could select up to three practical-work sessions from wet-lab and modelling, and both from computer simulation and e-learning.

S1	Laboratory safety
L1	The influence of Mg²⁺ ions on gene electrotransfer efficiency
L2	Monitoring cell membrane electroporation with ratiometric fluorescent dye Fura-2AM
L3	Electropermeabilization detection with propidium iodide in plated cells
L4	Measurements of the induced transmembrane voltage with fluorescent dye di-8-ANEPPS
L5	Irreversible electroporation of bacterial cells
L6	Electroporation of planar lipid bilayers
L7	Cell electrofusion
L8	Analysis of electric field orientations on gene electrotransfer — efficiency & visualization at the membrane level
L9	Skin electroporation
L10	Study of lightning-mediated irreversible electroporation on E. coli
C1	Electrochemotherapy treatment planning: optimization of voltage & electrode position
C2	Numerical modelling of thermal effects during irreversible electroporation treatments
C3	Molecular dynamics simulations of membrane electroporation
E1	Electroporation of cells and tissues — interactive e-learning

Abstracts & publication

Abstract submission & proceedings

Participants submitted an abstract, presented as a short oral talk, and were encouraged to submit a full manuscript for a special issue of the Journal of Membrane Biology devoted to electroporation-based technologies and treatments, guest-edited by P. T. Vernier, L. M. Mir and D. Miklavčič.

Two types of papers were considered — regular (more than 3 journal pages) and short (2–3 journal pages). The deadline for full-paper submission to the Journal of Membrane Biology was extended until 19 January 2014.

Electronic proceedings — book of abstracts & course material.

Distributed to participants as the EBTT 2013 book of abstracts.

Getting here & staying

Venue & accommodation

Held at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana (Tržaška 25, Ljubljana). Lectures, laboratory sessions and social events took place in and around the faculty and Ljubljana city centre.

Hotel Slon

City centre, by Kongresni trg

Pension Mrak

Near Kongresni trg

University guest house

Dom podiplomcev — Gostišče Jamnik, Cesta na Vrhovce 4

Support

Sponsors & partners

Supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Social Fund.

Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MIZŠ)

Travel grants were offered by the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA).

Contacts

Organisation & contacts

Registration, abstract submission & other

Damijan Miklavčič
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana
Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
damijan.miklavcic@fe.uni-lj.si
tel +386 1 4768 456 · fax +386 1 4264 658

Accommodation & travel

Congress Agency Albatros
nina@albatros-bled.com
tel +386 4 5780 351 · fax +386 4 5780 355