A micromachining fluidic cantilever for single cell advanced patch clamping and cellular characterization using atomic force microscopy - single patch clamping is used to multiple areas of biology…

A micromachining fluidic cantilever for single cell advanced patch clamping and cellular characterization using atomic force microscopy - single patch clamping is used to multiple areas of biology such as cardiology (CARDIOMYOCYTES), neurology/neuroscience (NEURONS), endocrinology (pancreatic beta cells), myology (muscle fibers), and even microbiology (bacterial ION channels). Applied nanostructures (APPNANO) in partnership with the icahn school of medicine is bringing to the market a unique solution addressing a major market need in electrophysiology measurements. With its advanced features and unmatched resolution, the device will enable researchers in academia and in the highly competitive life sciences industry to answer important scientific questions and develop and test new drugs fueling the discovery of new pharmaceutical solutions. As a result, these companies will be better equipped to keep up with the ever-increasing consumer demand for pharmaceutical products. In this sbir we are developing a semi-automated system based on an micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor pipette used with atomic force microscopes (AFM) that can measure, simultaneously and directly, electrophysiological properties (such as action potentials (AP)), contractile forces on single CARDIOMYOCYTES (CM), and single cell elasticity. This system offers high content analysis (HCA) at a single cell level. The system enables a significant increase in performance and a dramatic decrease in time to complete a measurement. With times