The QPatch HT is a 48-channel gigaseal patch clamp system that can be applied to both voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels. The system includes 48 individual low-noise patch clamp amplifiers and pressure controllers. Independent pressure control (i.e. suction on each cell individually) is important because each cell performs uniquely. Gigaseals and/or whole cells are obtained with some cells quickly while with other cells more slowly.

The QPatch HT has eight pipettes attached to the fluid handling robot to keep pace with the liquid handling demand of up to 48 simultaneous patch clamp experiments. For comparison the QPatch 16 has four pipettes. To further optimize system performance, an intelligent, forward-looking strategy for allocation of the pipettes to the actual liquid application tasks has been implemented in the QPatch HT. Especially for ligand-gated ion channel applications the eight intelligently moving pipettes are leading to a significantly increased throughput compared to todays automated patch clamp systems.

The 48-channel QPlate measurement plate builds on the same technology as the original 16-channel QPlate. The individual measurement sites include glass-coated microfluidic channels for less compound absorption and hence more accurate IC50-values. The microfluidic channels require only small volumes of liquid for each experiment (approximately 5 l) and enable cumulative dose-response experiments or screening of multiple compounds on the same cell. The liquid exchange time is ~ 100 ms.

The unique automated cell preparation station is also a popular feature from the QPatch 16. It keeps the cells in suspension until the experiment begins. Prior to application to the QPlate, cells are transferred to the on-board centrifuge where they are spun down and resuspended in the extracellular ringer solution to a concentration that ensures optimal success rates. Elevator units for stacking and feeding compound plates and QPlates are featured in the QPatch HT. Together with the cell preparation station, the elevator units ensure more than four hours of unattended operation with the QPatch HT. This, for instance, means that the system can be put to work after normal working hours, thus enhancing daily throughput.

While automated patch clamping has lead to significantly increased data throughput, a new bottleneck of data analysis has emerged in the horizon. The new QPatch Assay Software offers elegant automated data analysis features to efficiently remove that bottleneck.