A SUBSTRATE AND A METHOD FOR DETERMINING AND/OR MONITORING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ION CHANNELS

摘要

The present invention relates to a substrate and a method for obtaining an electrophysiological measuring configuration in which a cell forms a high resistive seal (giga-seal) around a measuring electrode making it suitable f or determining and monitoring a current flow through the cell membrane. The substrate is typically part of an apparatus for studying electrical events i n cell membranes, such as an apparatus for carrying out patch clamp techniques utilised to study ion transfer channels in biological membranes. The substra te has a plurality or an array of measuring sites with integrated measuring and reference electrodes formed by wafer processing technology. The electrodes a re adapted to conduct a current between them by delivery of ions by one electro de and receipt of ions by the other electrode and are typically silver/silver halide electrodes. This allows for effective and fast measuring of cells in configurations where there is a direct electrical connection between the measuring electrode and the cell interior, a whole-cell measuring configuration.