2010-054 LIPID BILAYER FORMATION USING SESSILE DROPLETS

Lipid Bilayer Formation Using Sessile Droplets

SUMMARY

UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a method to form a biologically functional lipid bilayer in a high-throughput and automated fashion.

BACKGROUND

Currently medium throughput ion channel measurements are conducted using automated patch-clamping. This technique involves directly attaching to a cell and measuring the current through a specific ion channel embedded in the cell membrane. The process of automated patch-clamping is a relatively slow and costly technique. Artificial bilayers, which are created in a laboratory for ion channel insertion and study, are attractive since the measurement is much easier and the experimenter has greater control over the surrounding biological environment. Yet, as a technology, artificial lipid bilayers are also characterized by low throughput and relatively high costs associated with its manual technique.

INNOVATION

Researchers at UCLA have developed a method to form a biologically functional lipid bilayer in a high- throughput and automated fashion. The ionic current that flows through the channel proteins incorporated into the bilayer can be directly monitored.

APPLICATIONS

• High throughput formation of lipid bilayers
• Can house ion channels and other transmembrane proteins
• Measurement of ion channels in high quality, high throughput manner
• Reduce cost and time associated with drug discovery process

ADVANTAGES

• High throughput bilayer generation – can generate 1000 bilayers per hour
• High throughput electrical measurement of bilayer without compromising bilayer integrity
• Requires less expertise than traditional methods
• Less expertise required than traditional method
• High control over biological environment - refresh upper solution using sessile aqueous droplets

STATE OF DEVELOPMENT

This technology has been successfully demonstrated in the laboratory.

RELATED MATERIALS

• S. A. Portonovo and J. Schmidt, Masking apertures enabling automation and solution exchange in sessile droplet lipid bilayers, in Biomedical microdevices, 2012.
• T. Thapliyal, J. L. Poulos, and J. J. Schmidt, Automated lipid bilayer and ion channel measurement platform, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2011.
• J. L. Poulos, S. A. Portonovo, H. Bang, and J. J. Schmidt, Automatable lipid bilayer formation and ion channel measurement using sessile droplets, in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2010.
• J. L. Poulos, T.-J. Jeon, R. Damoiseaux, E. J. Gillespie, K. A. Bradley, and J. J. Schmidt, Ion channel and toxin measurement using a high throughput lipid membrane platform, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2009.
• T.-J. Jeon, J. L. Poulos, and J. J. Schmidt, Long-term storable and shippable lipid bilayer membrane platform, Lab on a Chip, 2008.