Qube 384
High throughput screening made easy
Qube 384, Sophion’s high throughput screening system, is our way of making ion channel research easy. Combining giga-seal recordings with an actual walk-away operation is a reliable tool in making drug discovery more efficient. Qube is high fidelity voltage-clamp where each cell can be clamped at its V½-potential to elucidate compound mode-of-action better. The temperature is controlled at the cellular level and both heated and cooled. The temperature value is also available for the subsequent analysis.
Qube finally bridges the gap between high throughput and high fidelity in ion channel assays and provides:
- Online Vxx estimation for both activation and inactivation applied to both Vhold and Vstim
- 90-95% success rates are easily achieved (E.g. hERG, NaV1.7, CaV1.2)
- True walk-away operation – 6,000 wells tested with a single click – run overnight
- Voltage, ligand and current-clamp recordings with full individual parameter compensation in just over 4 s
- Whole-cell and perforated patch
- Gigaseal recording ensure high fidelity data and high signal to noise ratio
- Temperature control
- Intelligent compound handling to ensure correct concentrations at the measurement site
- Robust analysis with Sophion Analyzer Software automatic project analysis means data are ready for your interpretation shortly after the run
- Seamless integration to Genedata Screener and export format for FDA
Qube 384 is high throughput screening on ion channels made easy
Real answers to real questions
Working with Qube 384 is both simple and powerful to give high-level answers to relevant questions when developing drugs targeting ion channels. Together with the high throughput screening, it is possible to eliminate the secondary screening that is normally required when using fluorescent-based primary screening.
The recording can be with voltage-gated or ligand-gated ion channels and current-clamp recordings which can be freely combined, even in the same sweep, and with giga-seal quality. The temperature can be controlled in order to ensure both stable experimental conditions and the ability to study temperature effects on ion channel kinetics and pharmacology at reduced as well as elevated temperatures. The giga-seal quality that is so important for high fidelity ion channel research is achieved with the QChip 384. The QChip 384 has microfluidic flow channels for fast and accurate liquid handling and 384 built-in individual electrode pairs to remove the need for maintenance and to ensure long term stability of your recordings.
Intelligent compound handling
In HTS compounds are often placed in plastic plates with the risk of adhering to the well, especially when diluted to final test concentrations. To minimize this risk, Qube can carry out onboard dilution of stock compounds so the final concentration is prepared immediately prior to the actual recording in the QChip.
Simple yet flexible
Setting up experiments has been made so simple in the Viewpoint user interface that you can make your first experiments on the same day the system is delivered. And if you need to have multiple users this makes it efficient and minimizes loss of valuable employee time in training. Still, the software is flexible so your application scientist can make special adaptations and mail them to you for immediate use in a matter of a few days. The options are endless and reflect the collaboration that Sophion always appreciates with our users.
It was true that it´s really up and running after two days of training. We are very pleased,
Maija Ivaska, Orion Pharma
Full analysis and results made available for the whole company
Unattended gigaseal based automated patch clamping in 384 format generates a large amount of data. The Sophion Analyzer has been designed to be both intuitive and powerful in order to handle this. Data are handled in projects and can be configured automatically and to give any final value that is desired. If necessary, data can also be exported to third party software and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)
Click here to see the Qube brochure
Download the product specification here.
Download the user manual here.