The mechanism is the same as that used for the bulk electroporation of suspended cells—dielectric breakdown of the membrane by a voltage pulse—however, single-cell electroporation offers distinct advantages over bulk electroporation:  

• Individual cells can be targeted for specific modification. Whether you're using isolated cells, tissue slice or an intact preparation, this technique allows you to focus on an individual cell.  
• Precise regions of the cell can be selectively targeted. Apical vs. basal, neurite vs. axon, animal vs. vegetal pole—single cell electroporation allows you to focus on very specific regions of the cell under study. Large, isolated, and intact organelles are also suitable for single-cell electroporation.  
• Only minute volumes are required for electroporation. This helps preserve expensive and rare molecules.  
• Very high rates of survivability, 80% on average. Cells better tolerate the intervention because only a small portion of cell membrane is involved with the voltage-delivering micropipette. Thus a cell can be electroporated more than once with different genes.