Electroporation apparatus for control of temperature during the process

An electroporation method and apparatus generating and applying an electric field according to a user-specified pulsing and temperature profile scheme. The apparatus includes a cuvette holder with a Peltier device forming part of the electrode structures that form part of the holder. Advantageously, one such pulse includes a low voltage pulse of a first duration, immediately followed by a high voltage of a second duration, immediately followed by a low voltage of a third duration. The low voltage electroporation field accumulates molecules at the surface of a cell, the appropriately high voltage field creates an opening in the cell, and the final low voltage field moves the molecule into the cell. The molecules may be DNA, portions of DNA, chemical agents, the receiving cells may be eggs, platelets, human cells, red blood cells, mammalian cells, plant protoplasts, plant pollen, liposomes, bacteria, fungi, yeast, sperm, or other suitable cells. The molecules are placed in close proximity to the cells, either in the interstitial space in tissue surrounding the cells or in a fluid medium containing the cells.