FAQ - CYTOPATCH™

How does CytoPatch™ meet the special demands of screening ligand gated ion channels?

Ligand gated ion channels, like the neuronal GABA receptors, are opened by biochemical compounds rather than membrane voltage changes. In conventional patch clamping setups, some standards have evolved over the years that are regarded as prerequisites for successful and valid research on this important channel class. The most important of these prerequisites is a fast and reliable compound application, at a predefined and exact time during recording of a pulse protocol. Equally important, but even harder to achieve in automated patch clamping, is the requirement of continuous laminar buffer flow around the cell throughout the whole experiment to avoid unstirred layer effects. Last but not least, complex assay definitions are common in ligand gated channels: In a typical experiment, an agonist (the channel opener) is applied first to check the cells response. Following a complete washout of this control, an antagonist is applied for some time, followed without interruption by a mix of both, agonist and antagonist. The robotics, software and perfusion system of the CytoPatch™ have been designed to meet the special demands of ligand gated channel research. In contrast to the many designs on the market today, CytoPatch™ offers a principle of compound application that equals the well-proven perfusion/superfusion design of manual patch setups (for more details, see question #11: Is a lot of scripting necessary to perform a run?). As a consequence, CytoPatch™ delivers continuous laminar buffer flow throughout the experiment, fast compound application and unlimited continuous washout without compromise. At the same time, CytoPatch™ software offers pre-configured assay definitions for ligand gated ion channels. The combination of all these features makes CytoPatch™ the superior tool for ligand gated channel research.