National Cancer Institute (source definition)
Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a method used to separate proteins or high molecular weight linear DNA fragments that are greater than 50 kilobases (kb) in size. Fragments are separated by pulsing an electrical field across an agarose gel rather than applying the constant field used in conventional electrophoresis.
Review and references
Automated source check (NCI definition)
2026-10-19
2026-10-19
professional use
What it is
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a method used to separate proteins or high molecular weight linear DNA fragments that are greater than 50 kilobases (kb) in size. Fragments are separated by pulsing an electrical field across an agarose gel rather than applying the constant field used in conventional electrophoresis.
Source: National Cancer Institute, NCI Thesaurus 26.09d, C17426. NCI definition, reproduced without modification under CC BY 4.0.
Source identity and definition checked automatically on 2026-10-18. No individual clinical interpretation or human reviewer is asserted.
Compliance note
Reference intervals and interpretation depend on the laboratory, specimen, method and clinical context. This source definition is educational information; it does not establish a diagnosis, product approval or suitability for an individual.
Explore more
Same category
Tissue Culture Infectious Dose 50%
A potency unit defined as a minimal dose of infectious material at which preparation causes cytopathic effects (changes in the morphology and metabolism of tissue culture cells, indicatin…
Same categoryEpsilometry
A method to determine microbial susceptibility to antibiotics in which a plastic strip impregnated with the antibiotic of interest is placed on an agar plate that has been inoculated with…
Same categoryViral Identification
A diagnostic procedure to identify and characterize a viral organism.