NEPA Porator Electroporator

Impedance checks will give you better results
Electroporation is a process by which one or more electrical pulses are delivered to a biological sample. These pulses result in the temporary disruption of the cell membrane, and under some conditions the cell wall. The “porated” cells are then able to quickly take up DNA, RNA, or proteins in the surrounding buffer. The NEPA Porator is designed to deliver one or two DC exponential decay waves with constant voltage. What makes the NEPA Porator so special is its ability to first check the resistance of the sample via a trickle charge. This quick check ensures your samples’ buffering conditions are in the right range, so you know that you’re applying the correct amount of energy each and every time. In many cases, a quick adjustment to the sample volume in the cuvette can bring resistance back into the optimal range so that you can proceed with your experiment. In other cases, the system helps to identify “dirty” cells or DNA preps, so that these components can be re-purified and electroporation can move forward with the promise of consistent results.

The figure to the right shows the inverse proportional relationship between current and resistance as they relate to voltage. The NEPA Porator takes advantage of Ohm’s Law to deliver precise power, every single time.

Simple functionality without arcing
In bacterial electroporation, trace amounts of salts often drive down resistance and result in the scary popping noise referred to as “sparking” or “arcing”. This can also happen when bacterial cells are over-porated, causing them to release their intracellular contents; the cascading drop in resistance that follows can ruin whole experiments. The NEPA Porator helps eliminate arcing by allowing you to “see” a drop in resistance before electroporation even begins!

Results from labs in Japan tell the story for E. coli and other bacterial cells
The NEPA Porator’s unique ability to pre-measure the electrical impedance of samples before pulsing makes it suitable for a wide range of species. It has the capacity to pulse from 100V all the way up to 3,000V. The lower range (100V to 300V) is perfect for the efficient transfection of many common lines of cultured cells. The higher range (1000V+) is ideal for organisms with a cell wall, such as bacteria, yeast, and other fungi. The NEPA Porator is used widely throughout Japan, and the data from these labs demonstrate that this system delivers exceptionally consistent results.

Below is more data collected from other labs throughout Japan who have also recently evaluated the system with electro-competent E. coli cells:

Additional Information