Abstract: The claimed invention is directed towards equipment, methods and compositions involving application of an Electric field that are suitable for in vivo electroporation, in vitro application of an Electric field and the generation of developmentally-activated, totipotent, pluripotent, pluripotent-like, multipotent, and/or self-renewing cells which are capable of beginning to differentiate in culture into a variety of cell types and capable of further differentiation in vivo. The claimed invention is also directed towards the generation of desirable, differentiating somatic cell populations transplantable to animals or patients, to drug screening and drug discovery, cellular therapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and the treatment of patients suffering from diseases that may be ameliorated by these methods. This invention also provides methods for preventing, treating, or retarding disease, for example, immunodeficiency virus (e.g. HIV-1, HIV-2, SIV, FIV, etc.) infection.