Claims
- 1. In an arrangement comprising a substrate having a surface and a plurality of channels opening into said surface, a liquid environment located above said surface, and a plurality of electrodes, a method for carrying out measurements on a plurality of cells contained in said liquid environment, wherein each cell comprises a membrane having an underside, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a pressure differential in said channels for aspirating said cells to said surface, thereby positioning each cell with its respective underside on one of said channel openings in said surface, opening said undersides of said membranes, and electrically scanning said cells via said plurality of electrodes, wherein said plurality of electrodes are spaced apart from said undersides of said membranes along said channels.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said undersides of said membranes are ruptured by increasing said pressure differential.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said pressure differential is increased in a pulse-like manner.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said undersides of said membranes are ruptured or rendered microporous by means of adding pore-forming substances.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said undersides of said membranes are ruptured or rendered microporous by means of electric current pulses.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein a micro-cuvette is used in order to position said cells on said channel openings.
- 7. A method for carrying out measurements on cells located in a liquid environment above a surface having at least one channel leading into said surface, each cell comprising a membrane having an underside, said method comprising the steps of:
providing at least one electrode, positioning said cell with said underside on said surface by means of a pressure differential which is established in order to aspirate said cell to said surface, opening said underside of said membrane, and electrically scanning said cell via said at least one electrode.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said underside of said membrane is opened by rupturing or by rendering microporous and electrically low-resistant said membrane by means of an increase in said pressure differential, by means of an addition of pore-forming substances, or by means of an electric current pulse.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said pressure differential for rupturing said membrane is increased in a pulse-like manner.
- 10. The method of claim 8, wherein, in an arrangement comprising a plurality of channels, said increase of said te pressure differential or said electric current pulse to open up the membrane is generated simultaneously at all of said plurality of channels.
- 11. The method of claim 8, wherein, in an arrangement comprising a plurality of channels, said increase of said pressure differential or said electric current pulse to open up the membrane is generated successively at selected individuals or a plurality of said channels.
- 12. The method of claim 7, wherein a micro-cuvette is used in order to position said cell on said surface.
- 13. The method of claim 7, wherein said electrode for electrically scanning said cell is spaced apart from said underside of said membrane in a direction of said channel.
- 14. The method of claim 7, wherein a current is passed through an interior of said cell, or a potential measurement is carried out.
- 15. The method of claim 7, wherein said cell comprises a composition of an intracellular liquid medium, said composition being altered by an addition of substances.
- 16. The method of claim 7, wherein said cell comprises an intracellular liquid medium, and said intracellular liquid medium is replaced.
- 17. A device for carrying out electrical measurements on cells in a liquid environment, said device comprising a substrate having a surface and a plurality of first channels opening into said surface such that cells can be positioned above said first channels with an underside of their cell membranes on said surface, said device further comprising an aspirator channel for generating a pressure differential along said first channels, and comprising a first electrode and a plurality of second electrodes for electrical scanning said cells, said plurality of second electrodes being arranged so as to be spaced apart from said first electrode, wherein said plurality of second electrodes are disposed at an end of said first channels facing away from said first electrode.
- 18. An arrangement for carrying out electrical measurements on cells located in a liquid environment, said arrangement comprising a substrate having a surface and at least one first channel opening into said surface, and an aspirator for generating a pressure differential along said first channel for aspirating said cells to said surface, said arrangement further comprising a first electrode and at least one second electrode for electrical scanning said cells, wherein said second electrode is arranged so as to be spaced apart, towards the first channel, from said first electrode.
- 19. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein a controller for controlling said pressure differential is provided, said controller being capable of both generating a static pressure differential to establish a cell-attached configuration and generating a pulse-type increase of said pressure differential for rupturing said underside of said cells.
- 20. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein said first channel comprises a first end facing towards said cell and a second end, said second electrode being disposed at said second end.
- 21. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein said first channel comprises a first end facing towards said cell and a second end, said second end being annularly surrounded by said second electrode.
- 22. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein said first channel, at its end facing away from said first electrode, is connected via valves to a plurality of second channels via which a fluid can be supplied or discharged.
- 23. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein a plurality of first channels is arranged in said substrate.
- 24. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein at least one micro-cuvette having a bottom opening is disposed above said substrate.
- 25. The arrangement of claim 24, wherein a plurality of micro-cuvettes are arranged in a plate.
- 26. The arrangement of claim 25, wherein said plate has a multilayer structure.
- 27. The arrangement of claim 26, wherein said plate comprises a top layer, a middle layer and a bottom layer, said micro-cuvettes being disposed in said top layer, said middle layer forming said substrate in which said first channels are provided, and said bottom layer comprising connection channels connected to said first channels.
- 28. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein said electrodes are disposed on an underside of said substrate or on a top side of said bottom layer.
- 29. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein conductor tracks leading to said electrodes are disposed between said substrate and said bottom layer.
- 30. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein at least one of said top layer, said bottom layer and said substrate are made of the following: polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), silicone, PTFE, polyimide or of an inorganic material, particularly of silicon, ceramic material or glass.
- 31. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein said substrate has a layer thickness of between 2 μm and 40 μm, preferably about 5 μm.
- 32. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein said substrate consists of a sheet in which a plurality of first channels is fashioned in the form of drilled holes.
- 33. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said substrate is disposed on an underside of a plate in which a plurality of drilled holes are fashioned as micro-cuvettes whose bottom is formed by said substrate in which said first channels are fashioned as holes.
- 34. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said substrate is disposed at an underside of a plate in which a plurality of drilled holes are fashioned as micro-cuvettes in whose bottom holes are provided by means of which said first channels of said substrate are centered.
- 35. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein said substrate is bonded to a bottom layer which comprises one or more layers of photopatternable materials which have connection channels running to said first channels.
- 36. The arrangement of claim 35, wherein said bottom layer is applied to a glass mount.
- 37. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein a hydraulic and measuring unit is provided having a chamber which is open towards an underside of said substrate and being positioned at said underside of said substrate in such a way that the chamber communicates with a selected channel and is sealed with respect to the outside, said chamber containing at least one electrode and being connectable to at least one terminal channel which is connected to a negative-pressure source.
- 38. The arrangement of claim 37, wherein said chamber is connected to a plurality of terminal channels via valves.
- 39. The arrangement of claim 37, wherein a traversing unit is provided for traversing and positioning said substrate and said hydraulic and measuring unit relative to one another.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
199 48 473.2 |
Oct 1999 |
DE |
|
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of copending international patent application PCT/EP00/08895 filed on Sep. 12, 2000 designating the U.S., which claims priority of German patent application DE 199 48 473.2 filed on Oct. 8, 1999.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10110258 |
|
US |
Child |
10302163 |
Nov 2002 |
US |