Molecular Devices is taking orders for the Ionworks Barracuda automated patch-clamp system, designed for cardiovascular, metabolic, immune function and other drug discovery programmes.
The system is said to deliver the highest throughput for automated electrophysiology analysis available at the lowest cost per data point.
It also incorporates the patent-pending Population Patch Clamp (PPC) recording technology that is claimed to have revolutionised ion-channel screening and has become the standard for directed library and hit-to-lead applications.
The Ionworks Barracuda system can screen both voltage-gated and rapidly-desensitising ligand-gated ion channels due to the design of the Patch Plate Consumable and an electrode plate that enables researchers to add compound while recording.
In addition, the system can generate more than 1,100 data points per hour as a result of being able to add compounds and record from 384-wells simultaneously.
Measuring from 384 wells in parallel means that researchers can complete a screening experiment in as little as 20mins, making the Ionworks Barracuda system ideal for drug discovery programmes focused on ion channel targets.
Because of the low running costs of Ionworks platforms, the system can pay for itself in as few as three directed library screens compared with other automated electrophysiology platforms.
The system is also well suited for follow-on studies, such as hit-to-lead, compound profiling, and safety assessments.
Mark Verheyden, president of Molecular Devices, said: 'This system is the ideal screening solution for cardiovascular, metabolic, central nervous system, and immune function drug discovery programmes.
'Ion channels have long been implicated in these disorders, yet they remain a largely unexplored target class due to a historical lack of practical technologies that provided the required throughput.
'Now, with the Ionworks Barracuda platform, drug discovery researchers can screen large, directed libraries against both types of ion channels via direct electrophysiology assays affordably, giving them the technology they need to discover new chemical entities that could one day be used to improve the lives of people afflicted with these debilitating disorders,' he added.
