Integrating Cellular Assays on the Labchip~(TM) Platform

摘要

We have developed and validated a microfluidic-based calcium flux assay using an integrated system including the Caliper 250 HTS instrumentation, control and data analysis software, and sipper-based microchips. In the first generation chips for agonist and antagonist screens, functions including compound accession from microplates, mixing and incubation with cells, and agonist addition are integrated into the chip. This system has been demonstrated to run continuously and reliably over 4 hrs, and to yield high data quality with a z-factor much higher than 0.5. A chip design for additional functional integration, namely on-chip dye loading, has also been demonstrated.