Substrate and method for measuring the electro-physiological properties of cell membranes
AssigneeSophion Bioscience A/S
InventorsRas Kaas Vestergaard, Niels Willumsen, Nicholas Oswald, Jonatan Kutchinsky, Dirk Reuter, Rafael Taboryski
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Abstract
The present invention retates to a substantially planar substrate for use in patch clamp analysis of the electrophysiological properties of a cell membrane comprising a glycocalyx, wherein the substrate comprises an aperture having a rim, the rim being adapted to form a gigaseal upon contact with the cell membrane, The invention further provides a method of making such a substrate and method for analysing the electrophysiological properties of a cell membrane comprising a glycocalyx.
Claims29
A substantially planar substrate for use in patch clamp analysis of the electrophysiological properties of a cell membrane comprising a glycocalyx, wherein the substrate comprises an aperture having a rim defining the aperture, the rim being adapted to form a gigaseal upon contact with the cell membrane.
A planar substrate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the width of the rim is in the range 50 to 200 nm.
A planar substrate according to any of the preceding claims, in which the length (i.e. depth) of the aperture is between 2 and 30 μm, preferably between 2 and 20 μm, 2 and 10 μm, or 5 and 10 μm.
A planar substrate according to any of the preceding claims wherein the diameter of the aperture is in the range 0.5 to 2 μm.
A planar substrate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rim extends substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the substrate.
A planar substrate according to any of the preceding claims wherein the substrate is made of silicon, plastics, pure silica or other glasses, such as quartz and Pyrex™, or silica doped with one or more dopants selected from the group of Be, Mg, Ca, B, Al, Ga, Ge, N, P, As.
A substrate according to any of the preceding claims wherein the surface of the substrate and/or the walls of the aperture are coated with a second coating material.
A substrate substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A method substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A kit substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.