All-Solid-State Synergistic Bipolar Pulse Generator for Gene Electrotransfer

In order to meet the requirements of gene electrotransfer (GET) research, a novel all-solid-state synergistic bipolar pulse generator (SBPG) is proposed in this article. It utilizes a dual Marx structure with nested high-voltage short pulse modules and low-voltage long pulse modules. This structure uses two different sets of storage capacitors, charging sources, and solid-state switches that can, respectively, control the parameters of the high-voltage long pulse and the low-voltage short pulse. An experimental prototype is built to verify the scheme, which can generate high-voltage short pulses with a maximum output voltage of ±12 kV and adjustable pulsewidth from 100 ns to
$1~\mu \text{s}$
. Additionally, it can generate low-voltage long pulses with a maximum output voltage of ±3 kV and adjustable pulsewidth from 10 to
$100~\mu \text{s}$
. The combination of high-voltage short pulses and low-voltage long pulses is adjustable in various forms. We have established a biological experimental platform for GET. The results show that the transfection efficiency of bipolar microsecond pulses exceeds that of unipolar microsecond pulses, and the transfection efficiency of bipolar synergistic pulses exceeds that of bipolar nanosecond pulses and verifies that SBPG is compatible with the feasibility of GET.