Received the award for its chip-based patch clamp technique, which allows users to perform sophisticated electrophysiological measurements from cells in an automated and parallel manner
The German nanobiotech company Nanion Technologies was recently awarded the Bavarian Innovation Award 2005 and is Bavaria's company of the year (small/medium enterprise (SME)).
Nanion received the award for its chip-based patch clamp technique, which allows users to perform sophisticated electrophysiological measurements from cells in an automated and parallel manner.
Nanion's entry level device, the Port-a-Patch, supersedes the common pipette based patch clamp technique in ease of use and throughput and doesn't require a microscope, vibration isolation or a micromanipulator.
The Port-a-Patch uses an all-electrical read-out for automatically positioning and electrically contacting cells on the chip.
With the Port-a-Patch, Nanion says it offers the world's smallest patch-clamp workstation.
This innovative drug discovery technology makes patch clamp available also to non-electrophysiologists.
This innovation and its successful market introduction has been award the prestigious prize, which clearly is an important step and great commendation for Nanion, it says.
Nanion Technologies is a spin-off from the Center for Nanoscience (Cens) of the University of Munich (LMU).
Nanion combines bio- and nanotechnology in a company serving the life sciences industry by offering instrumentation for increasing the speed and efficiency of the drug discovery process in ion channel drug discovery.
Nanion develops, produces and markets instrumentation and chip consumables for automated patch clamping.
The Port-a-Patch is a complete patch clamp setup with minimum foot print and low maintenance requirements.
The system uses Nanion's planar patch clamp chips and provides high quality data.
Great ease-of-use is accomplished by automated cell positioning and sealing.
The Port-a-Patch enables fast fluid exchange on the chip, suitable not only for voltage gated, but also for ligand gated ion channels.
Even the exchange of intracellular solution is possible, enabling perfusion on both sides of the cell membrane.
The Port-a-Patch is described as a valuable tool for target validation and safety pharmacology (hERG screening).
