IPPS International Seminar on“Bioelectrics”

No. 47

Date ： March 8, 2019 (Fri.) 13：30-16：00
Venue： Honjo Campus, Kumamoto University
IMEG 1F Conference Room

http://www.imeg.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/access/Scope Bioelectrics refers to the use of pulsed power, powerful pulsed electromagnetic

field for extremely short periods of time, non-thermal plasmas in gases or liquids,
shock waves, to give new physical stresses to biological cells, tissues and/ororganisms as well as bacteria. Bioelectrics is opening up new biotechnologies, e.g.,
manipulation of biological cells, tissues and organisms for medical treatment,
tissue healing, sterilization applications, etc. This seminar provides anopportunity to share the new trends in cutting edge pulsed power technologies
for biotechnology, medical treatment, drug and gene delivery, which are
introduced by three distinguished Professors.

Program
13:30

Opening Address: Prof. Sunao Katsuki (IPPS)
Chair: Prof. Hamid Hosano (IPPS)

13:35“The Use of Reversible Electroporation for Drugand Gene Therapy: Current Status and Perspectives”
Prof. Maja Cemazar(Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia)

14:15

Prof. Cemazar“Electropermeabilization: Physics for Biology”
Prof. Marie-Pierre Rols
(IPBS, University of Toulouse, CNRS, France)

14:55“Reversible Cell Membrane Manipulation:

Prof. Rols

Current Trends and Future Prospective”
Dr. Nushin Hosano(IPPS, Kumamoto University)

15:35

Discussion

Dr. N. Hosano

Organized by Institute of Pulsed Power Science (IPPS), Kumamoto University
INQUIRY: katsuki@cs.kumamoto-u.ac.jp

47th IPPS Seminar on “Bioelectrics” @ Kumamoto University, Mar. 8th, 2019

ABSTRACTs“The use of reversible electroporation for drug and gene therapy: Current status andperspectives”
Prof. Maja Cemazar
Dpt. Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia
mcemazar@onko-i.si

Reversible electroporation is used for drug or gene delivery and is being utilized predominantly fortreatment of cancer. However, its potential use is also in treatment of other diseases, especially for
vaccination. When electroporation is used for enhanced drug delivery, it is called
electrochemotherapy, which is well established local ablative technique, where the use ofantitumor chemotherapeutic drug bleomycin dominates. On the other hand, electroporation withcisplatin is well established as well, and could have better potential that electrochemotherapy withbleomycin, due its better elicitation of immune response. Similar was shown also for calcium
electroporation. The perspective is their combination with immunomodulatory cytokines that areproduced locally at the tumor site. After in situ tumor vaccination with electrochemotherapy thesecytokines delivered to tumors or skin by gene electrotransfer, is especially interesting, since it
exploits the same delivery system i.e. electroporation, and the drug and the plasmid DNA could bedelivered to tumors at the same time. Preliminary results in preclinical rodent tumor models andtumors in client-owned dogs show very promising response.

“Electropermeabilization: Physics for Biology”
Prof. Marie-Pierre Rols
University of Toulouse, CNRS, France
Marie-Pierre.Rols@ipbs.fr

Cell membranes can be transiently permeabilized by application of electric pulses. This process,called electropermeabilization or electroporation, allows molecules such as anticancer drugs andnucleic acids to enter into cells and tissues. The knowledge of the mechanisms is mandatory for themethod to be used. Their description takes benefit from studies performed on lipid vesicles, 2D and
3D cells culture. Single cell imaging experiments revealed that the uptake of molecules takes place inwell-defined membrane regions. Small molecules can freely cross the electropermeabilisedmembrane. Heavier molecules, such as plasmid DNA, face physical barriers which engender acomplex mechanism of transport.

“Reversible cell membrane manipulation: Current trends and future prospective”
Dr. Nushin Hosano
IPPS, Kumamoto University
nushin@kumamoto-u.ac.jp

Manipulating the cell membrane for therapeutic applications has been one of the greatest challenges
in biotechnology. Despite decades of worldwide research, it has seen only limited success rate. Today,
there is an urgent need to develop novel molecular delivery techniques with high transfection rates
that have low-cost and avoid development of resistance mechanisms. Among different stimuli(biological, chemical, or physical), physical stresses, which are of crucial importance for thedevelopment and maintenance of our cells, have been well studied. Mechanical forces can directly
open the cell membrane besides their ability to induce differentiation by targeting the activity andexpression of enzymes involved in gene expression. Among different techniques, non-invasive
approach of low intensity ultrasound (US) compare favorably with the other physical methods forgene/drug transformation. Ability to focus US in soft tissue gives an enormous advantage to US forclinical therapy. Low intensity US combined with micro/nano bubbles can temporally increase the cell
membrane permeability without cell killing. Recent progress in micromanipulation of cell membraneby oscillating micro/nano bubbles provides exciting possibilities for localized/adjustable DNA/drugdelivery for variety of biological targets.