Miniaturised platform technologies are no longer new concepts, with chips and microarrays becoming standard tools for the high-throughput analysis of gene expression. The power of microarray analysis lies in the ability to compare large sets of genes in different tissues or conditions to identify pathways and regulatory networks.
LOC technologies have specifically targeted the drug discovery industry. This is largely because of the scale and high automation of the sector. Pharmaceutical companies are aiming to reduce sample volumes in order to cut back on reagent costs. This drives the demand for LOCs that offer precision, flexibility, and ease of use.
The lab-on-a-chip, termed Qplate, and manufactured by thinXXS, is a core part in Sophion's QPatch-16 system. This system allows for fully automated, 16-fold parallel measurement of ion channel currents in cell membranes (so-called "patch clamping").
This gives it the advantage of rapid assay times and smaller sample requirements
Sophion's novel QPatch system, which is designed primarily for the pharmaceutical industry, allows automated and parallel ion channel screening. To this end, a hybrid microfluidic carrier system is required. This houses 16 microchips on which the measurements are performed.
Additionally, it provides the microfluidics needed to make the device work. Thirdly, it acts as interface between the microstructures and the screening apparatus. This includes both electric and fluidic connections.
Developed and produced in collaboration with Sophion Bioscience, the microfluidic chip combines the advantages of silicon microprocessing, micromolding, and printed circuit board technology.
"What Sophion asked us to do at the time was forward-looking," said general manager Hans-Joachim Hartmann. "This disposable is a pioneering feat in the world of lab-on-a-chip devices."
Ion channels are important targets in drug development since their controlled blocking or opening may have significant therapeutic effects. So far, such measurements posed a true bottleneck as traditional methods were extremely time consuming and labour intensive.
The electrical activity of nerves, muscles, and of most other cells is governed by the opening and closing of tiny pores in the cell membrane: ion channels. By way of these ion channels charged atoms and molecules (ions) pass through the cell membrane.
For the cell's functioning it is essential that a balance between positively and negatively charged ions be maintained within the cell. This balance is controlled by selective opening and closing of specific ion channels, an activity which is important for cell-to-cell communication and for many signalling processes inside the cell
Microfluidics has become big business in which big players such as Caliper Technologies are now looking at life science applications of nanotechnology with greater interest. The company have an extensive range of micron-scale microfluidics technologies in drug discovery applications and are researching the use of even smaller systems for their lab-on-a-chip portfolios.
Swiss-based microfluidics technology company SpinX Technologies' area of interest is programmable microfluidics, which enables sub-microlitre reactions where in the fluidic components, paths, sequence and doses can be chosen in real-time.
According to the report from Lux Research entitled: "Why Big Pharma Is Missing the Nanotech Opportunity," current nanotech product sales have been estimated to be between $20-$50 billion with a figure set to top $2 trillion by the year 2015.