Ace Therapeutics offers comprehensive in vitro electrophysiological analysis to monitor interneuronal communication and to study the effects of physiological or pharmacological stimuli associated with psychiatric disorders. Small electrical signals from action, membrane or synaptic potentials are amplified and recorded using state-of-the-art equipment. Our services include two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC), membrane clamp services and microelectrode arrays (MEA).

Introduction of In Vitro Electrophysiological Analysis in Psychiatry

In vitro electrophysiological techniques are the gold standard for ion channel detection. Applicable to a variety of different tissue and cellular configurations, in vitro electrophysiology methods are capable of assessing small changes in ion channel activity from the level of individual receptors to the level of complex neural networks. Recent advances in automation technology have further extended the utility of in vitro electrophysiology methods to high-throughput areas. Due to the robustness and utility of the method, in vitro electrophysiology techniques are beginning to become an important component of safety pharmacology related to antipsychotic drugs.

Fig. 1 Workflow diagram for performing patch-clamp electrophysiology. (Manz KM, et al., 2021)

In Vitro Electrophysiological Analysis Services

• Two-Electrode Voltage Clamp Services

We can determine the precise relationship between membrane currents, membrane conductance and membrane voltage by the TEVC method to derive a quantitative description of the ionic basis of action potentials. In addition, we can measure ion channel currents in a range of cells, including neurons, and specific cellular regions, including presynaptic terminals and dendritic spines.

• Patch-Clamp Services

We have been able to identify many changes through whole-cell recordings of brain slices from animal models of mental illness, including many components involved in neuronal function (e.g., ligand-activated ion channels, voltage-gated ion channels, neurotransmitter transporter proteins), and the resulting brain circuit activity and behavior. In addition, our membrane clamp electrophysiology technique allows us to isolate changes in signaling originating from synaptic versus intrinsic excitability changes.

• Microelectrode Arrays Services

We can offer high-density MEA-based techniques that allow the study of physiological and pathological functional activity in different models, such as cell culture (primary or stem cell-derived), brain sections (acute or organotypic), retina or brain-like organs. Especially in brain slices, MEA allows recording spike activity and field potential propagation in different regions with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

What Can We Help You Achieve in Psychiatry?

• Assessing the GABAergic activity of compounds (many psychotherapeutic drugs have multiple pharmacological effects and act on GABAA receptors)
• Assessing underlying biological processes and elucidating the role of neurotransmitter receptors in various neuropsychiatric disorders
• Identifying electrical network phenotypes associated with risk genes (many risk genes have recently been associated with susceptibility to autism and schizophrenia)
• Studying the changes in cortical circuit function that occur between sleep and wakefulness
• Studying the cellular molecular basis of schizophrenia

Ace Therapeutics is dedicated to supporting biomarker and therapy development for psychiatric disorders through in vitro electrophysiological analysis. We aim to help you achieve faster data analysis and accurate measurements and to advance your understanding of the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to make an inquiry.

Reference

1. Manz KM, et al. Patch-clamp and multi-electrode array electrophysiological analysis in acute mouse brain slices. STAR Protoc. 2021, 2(2):100442.