Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

[2] In 1984, David C. Schwartz and Charles Cantor published the first successful application of alternating electric fields for the separation of large DNA molecules.

[3][4] This technique, which they named PFGE, resulted in the development of several variations, including Orthogonal Field Alternation Gel Electrophoresis (OFAGE), Transverse Alternating Field Electrophoresis (TAFE), Field-Inversion Gel Electrophoresis (FIGE), and Clamped Homogeneous Electric Fields (CHEF), among others.

[3] The procedure for PFGE is similar to that of standard agarose gel electrophoresis, with the main exception being the application of the electric current.

Generally, in PFGE electrophoresis chambers, the voltage periodically switches between three directions: one along the central axis, and two at a 60 degree angle along each side.

It has commonly been considered a gold standard in epidemiological studies of pathogenic organisms for several decades.