Automated patch clamp with plate reader simplicity

IonFlux provides an automated, high throughput solution for ion channel drug discovery and research. The system utilizes Fluxion's Well Plate Microfluidics™ (WPM) to conduct high content patch clamping analysis in a convenient and flexible well plate format.

IonFlux supports a wide range of ion channel applications

The IonFlux system provides automated patch clamping for recording from ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion channels. A wide variety of electrophysiology applications are supported, including:

• ion channel drug screening
• ion channel pharmacology
• safety toxicology (hERG screening)
• functional expression and mutant screening

Ion channels represent an important yet under-represented drug target class due to the lack of available high-throughput screening approaches. Manual patch-clamping, the “gold standard” for performing cell electrophysiology, is a
labor-intensive technique that is too slow to be used for drug screening and larger data sets. First-generation automated electrophysiology systems were expensive, inflexible, and limited to moderate throughput.

Fluxion has addressed these limitations with the IonFlux Automated Patch Clamp System. IonFlux eliminates the need for intermediate pipetting steps during the recording protocol and allows the system to be configured much like a plate reader, simplifying workflow and increasing throughput.

Lateral-patch technology optimizes performance and
throughput

The IonFlux system utilizes a unique microfluidic design to provide automated cell introduction, trapping, sealing, whole-cell formation and precise current recording protocols. IonFlux plates are available in 96-well and 384-well formats. The plates look and handle just like standard well plates. However, the bottom of the plate has been replaced with a channel network that
connects the wells with a series of micron-scale channels for cell and compound introduction. The instrument includes an interface that mates to the plates and provides pneumatic flow control. Integrated electrodes are inserted into the wells for voltage clamping. Recordings are taken from 20-cell ensembles to increase success rate and throughput. Pharmacology is improved by recording the full range of concentrations from the same group of cells.