Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

New technologies

Robot System for Automated Drug Screening on Xenopus Oocytes
Presentation: P03033
Session: Robotic Screening & Automation Technologies - Poster Session

Igor Baburn, Beyl Stanislav, Sophia Khom, Steffen Hering,
University Vienna

Presenting Author: Igor Baburin, University Vienna - Austria

Voltage-clamp experiments on Xenopus oocytes are performed in a 15µl-bath that is covered by a glass plate. Two inlet channels in the glass cover enable access of two microelectrodes to the oocyte. A funnel for drug application surrounds the access channels for the two microelectrodes. Drugs or neurotransmitters are applied to the funnel by means of a TECAN Miniprep 60 that is controlled by an Axon DIGIDATA 1322A (Clampex version 9.2). A custom made software permits automation of the experiments. A mean time of solution exchange (t10-90%) of about 150 ms was estimated.

The system requires only small amounts of test solution (about 100 µl) for drug screening. After an initial fast perfusion step the chamber is continuously perfused at a slower rate (usually at 1 µl/second). Examples are given to illustrate the use of the robot system for screening of hERG channel blockers or modulators of GABA_A channels.