Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) received a $750,000 Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351) to acquire a Nanion Technologies Syncropatch 384 automated patch-clamp instrument. The award, obligated on May 1, 2026 with completion targeted for April 30, 2027, supports the purchase of specialized electrophysiology equipment that will enable high-throughput biophysical research on ion channel function. The automated system's capacity to simultaneously patch up to 384 cells will significantly increase research throughput compared to conventional manual patch-clamp methods while maintaining data quality comparable to manual techniques.

The instrument will serve UMB's broad faculty research community focused on understanding normal and pathophysiological mechanisms of ion channels and membrane electrical properties in excitable cells, including those in cardiac, nervous, and muscle tissue systems. By enabling simultaneous recording from multiple cell types in voltage-clamp or current-clamp modes with reduced dependence on specialized operator skills, the Syncropatch 384 will facilitate mechanistic studies of ion channel function, support genotype-to-electrical phenotype correlation research, and accelerate development of pharmacologic and therapeutic strategies targeting ion channel dysfunction across multiple disease states.