Automated Electrophysiology

Abstract

Ion channels and electrogenic transporters are involved in numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes, and are therefore important therapeutic targets. The latter makes channels and transporters very interesting for an understanding of physiological dysfunction and for the search for and development of drugs, which interact with ion-channel or transporter function. Although non-electrophysiological methods have been developed to quantify or examine the function of membrane conductances (e. g. binding assays or optical methods), a real understanding of drug action on ion channels still needs the use of electrophysiological methods, such as the two-electrode voltage-clamp or patch clamp techniques; only these allow us to control the membrane potential. Unfortunately, classical electrophysiological methods are technically challenging, need well-trained personnel, and generate results at very low through-put. This is, in fact, a serious problem in face of the large compound libraries that have to be scanned for lead compounds at the beginning of drug development. Therefore, robotic machines have been developed to automate electrophysiological methods such as two-electrode voltage clamping on Xenopus oocytes or the patch-clamp technique, which are dealt with in this chapter on Automated Electrophysiology.