Patch them all - fully HTS-compatible automated patch clamping of 384 cells at once for massively parallel ion channel screening

<p>Automated patch clamping is well established within academic research and drug discovery efforts. Still, there is a longstanding desire to have gold standard electrophysiology compatible with primary ion channel drug screening requirements. We here present a chip-based, modular approach for massively parallel patch clamp recordings. Using microstructured glass bottom microtitre plates, recordings from 384 cells are performed in an automated fashion. The recording system contains 384 patch clamp amplifiers and is integrated into existing, state-of-the-art 384 head pipetting robots, so all experiments are done in parallel, resulting in a throughput of several thousand data point per hour. Such a robust and modular approach is themselves easily integrable into HTS environment. Finally patch clamp has gone HTS! Success rates achieved are routinely over 85 %. A complete run takes less than 15 minutes. From single point application to cumulative dose responses, there are no limitations with the number of additions. Solution onset is fast, <50 ms, current responses are highly reproducible and brief compound exposures, <1s, can be obtained.