SUBSYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN PATCH CLAMP SYSTEMS

• US 20090078589A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tecella LLC
• Original Assignee: Tecella LLC
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yokichi J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,163,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/792
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48728 Investigating individual cells, e.g. by patch clamp, voltage clamp investigating individual particles in general G01N15/10

Abstract

Subsystems and methods for use in patch clamp systems are provided. For example, in certain embodiments, compensation circuitry is used to compensate for non-idealities present in the patch clamp system. The accuracy of this compensation may be verified by employing, for example, circuitry that models the patch clamp system.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A method for determining a characteristic of a cell, the method comprising:

measuring a natural resting potential of a cell;

storing the measured natural resting potential in memory;

alternately applying to the cell a first voltage substantially equal to the measured natural resting potential and a second voltage substantially equal to a sum of the measured natural resting potential and a step voltage; and

measuring a characteristic of the cell.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein a different step voltage is applied on each application of the second voltage.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the characteristic of the cell is measured during each application of the second voltage.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the measured characteristic of the cell is current.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein a single probe is employed to measure the natural resting potential of the cell and to measure the characteristic of the cell.

48. A subsystem for determining a characteristic of a cell, the subsystem comprising:

sensing circuitry configured to measure a natural resting potential of a cell;

a memory configured to store the measured natural resting potential; and

clamping circuitry configured to i) alternately apply to the cell a first voltage substantially equal to the measured natural resting potential and a second voltage substantially equal to a sum of the measured natural resting potential and a step voltage and ii) measure a characteristic of the cell.

49. The subsystem of claim 48, wherein a different step voltage is applied on each application of the second voltage.

50. The subsystem of claim 48, wherein the clamping circuitry is configured to measure the characteristic of the cell during each application of the second voltage.

51. The subsystem of claim 48, wherein the measured characteristic of the cell is current.

52. The subsystem of claim 48, wherein the sensing circuitry and the clamping circuitry are each coupled to a common single probe.

53-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A method for determining a characteristic of at least one cell in an electrophysiological experiment, the method comprising:

applying a stimulus to the cell through a device in a patch clamp system; and

measuring the characteristic of the cell with measurement circuitry while applying to the measurement circuitry a first compensation signal to compensate for a leakage resistance introduced by the patch clamp system and a second compensation signal to compensate for a series resistance introduced by the device,

wherein the second compensation signal is related to the measured characteristic of the cell and a third compensation signal removing from the measured characteristic of the cell the effect thereon of the first compensation signal.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the device is an electrode.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the measured characteristic is current.

62. A patch clamp system for determining a characteristic of at least one cell in an electrophysiological experiment, the patch clamp system comprising:

a device for applying a stimulus to the cell;

measurement circuitry for measuring the characteristic of the cell;

first compensation circuitry for applying to the measurement circuitry a first compensation signal to compensate for a leakage resistance introduced by the patch clamp system;

second compensation circuitry for applying to the measurement circuitry a second compensation signal to compensate for a series resistance introduced by the device, the second compensation signal related to the measured characteristic of the cell and a third compensation signal; and

third compensation circuitry for applying to the second compensation circuitry the third compensation signal, the third compensation signal removing from the measured characteristic of the cell the effect thereon of the first compensation signal.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the device is an electrode.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein the measured characteristic is current.

65-85. -85. (canceled)