SyncroPatch 384 Automated Patch Clamp Instrument

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The objective of this proposal is to enhance the capability of a diverse group of researchers funded by National Institute of Mental Health in the greater Boston area to perform electrophysiological assays for the purposes of drug discovery, targeted pharmacological studies, determining the functional consequences of human ion channel variants associated with genetic diseases, and investigating the electrophysiological properties of human neurons. This objective will be achieved by the purchase and installation of a 384-well automated planar patch clamp instrument (SyncroPatch 384) manufactured by Nanion Technologies. This instrument will replace the 7-year-old legacy instrument (SyncroPatch 384 PE) this is approaching obsolescence and lacks critically important features that are needed by researchers. The Nanion SyncroPatch 384 instrument consists of a patch clamp module (measurement chamber) integrated with a state-of-the-art robotic liquid handler with a 384-pipetting head (Biomek i5), 384 individual patch clamp amplifiers that can operate in either voltage-clamp or current-clamp mode, advanced temperature control with range 10°C to 37°C, and powerful user-friendly software for instrument control and data analysis that runs under a supported operating system. The instrument allows for formation of giga-Ohm resistance seals with a variety of cell types and produces electrophysiological recordings with high fidelity that are comparable to the traditional manual patch clamp technique but at two orders of magnitude greater throughput. The instrument will be managed by the ICE-T (ion channel and electrogenic transporter) platform at Broad Institute. Strong institutional support for the instrument and its deployment will be provided, and effective oversight will be achieved by a team of professional scientist. The instrument is expected to enhance the success of several NIMH - funded research projects and provide a new platform for active and future research.