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Automatable production of shippable bilayer chips by pin tool deposition for an ion channel measurement platform
Author(s) -
Poulos Jason L.,
Jeon TaeJoon,
Schmidt Jacob J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.200900297
Subject(s) - bilayer , throughput , deposition (geology) , materials science , nanotechnology , lipid bilayer , volume (thermodynamics) , channel (broadcasting) , computer science , chemistry , membrane , wireless , physics , telecommunications , paleontology , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , sediment , biology
As a step towards an automated and operator‐free ion channel measurement platform we have previously demonstrated a solution formulation for artificial lipid bilayers that enabled the indefinite storage and shipping of frozen bilayer precursors. In this work, the solutions were deposited by hand. Here, we have adapted pin tools to deposit the bilayer precursor solutions onto multi‐element arrays, a popular method for microarray solution deposition. The pin tools have enabled the deposited volume to be applied highly repeatably and controllably, resulting in reduction of bilayer formation times to <1 h. The pin tools are also compatible with computerized motion control platforms, enabling automated and high throughput production. We discuss these results and the prospects of this technology to produce high density bilayer arrays for high throughput measurement of ion channels incorporated into artificial bilayers.