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Dual-pore glass chips for cell-attached single-channel recordings
Brandon R Bruhn1, Haiyan Liu, Stefan Schuhladen
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. mimayer@umich.edu.
Lab on a Chip
|May 22, 2014
Summary
New dual-pore glass chips fabricated using femtosecond laser ablation overcome limitations in planar patch-clamp technology. These chips enable high-seal resistance and low-noise cell-attached single-channel recordings, matching conventional methods.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Conventional micropipette patch-clamp is the gold standard for single-channel recordings.
- Existing planar patch-clamp platforms struggle with noise and low seal resistance, hindering cell-attached studies.
- Current planar designs risk pore contamination, reducing seal quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an improved planar patch-clamp chip for high-quality cell-attached single-channel recordings.
- To overcome the limitations of existing planar platforms, specifically noise and seal resistance.
- To enable reliable and prolonged gigaseal formation for detailed ion channel analysis.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of dual-pore glass chips using femtosecond laser ablation.
- Optimization of pore size (150-300 nm) for high-resistance seal formation.
- Utilizing separate pores for cell positioning and seal establishment.
Main Results:
- Achieved high gigaseal formation rates (61%) with a mean seal resistance of 53 GΩ.
- Maintained stable gigaseals for up to 6 hours.
- Recorded low RMS noise (0.46 pA at 5 kHz bandwidth), comparable to conventional methods.
Conclusions:
- Femtosecond laser-ablated dual-pore glass chips provide a robust platform for cell-attached single-channel recordings.
- The novel design overcomes noise and contamination issues inherent in previous planar systems.
- These chips offer a viable alternative to conventional patch-clamp, enabling high-fidelity ion channel studies.