Traditional patch clamp set-up
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Measuring ion channel function has been a demanding,
time consuming and expensive process.
Indirect methods, including radioactive tracer flux and voltage dye fluorescence assays,
have been unreliable and do not provide the vital means to study these tiny pores: voltage-control
and close monitoring of the electrochemical driving force.
The most advanced method to study ionic currents through biological channels is the patch clamp
technique. It provides complete control over the electrical and chemical environment of the channel pore.
However, prodding a cell with the tip of a micropipette on an anti-vibration table underneath the microscope
requires considerable skill, expensive tools and even more costly operator time.
So far, patch clamp automation has been plagued by three major obstacles:
| 1. |
The preparation of an ultraclean surface on a suitable substrate to glue to cell membranes,
obtaining the required gigaseals for measuring tiny currents |
| 2. |
Positioning single mammalian cells in a micron scale without microscope and micromanipulator |
| 3. |
Handling complex fluidic and electronic procedures to automatically perform the complicated
steps involved in
a whole cell patch clamp experiment. |
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