FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay kits detect ion channel modulation by increasing or decreasing the fluorescent signal as cellular membrane potential changes. The fluorescent signal increases in intensity during membrane depolarization as dye follows the positively charged ions inside the cell. During membrane hyperpolarization, fluorescent signal decreases in intensity as dye follows the positively charged ions out of the cell. FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kits are uniquely suited for use with the simultaneous pipet and read capability of the FLIPR^TETRA® system to capture the fast kinetics associated with this assay.

Because ion channel activity is sensitive to interference, and chemical interference with a particular ion channel is highly unpredictable, the FLIPR^® Membrane Potential Assay Kit has two formulations, blue and red.  Both formulations combine the advantages of Molecular Devices' proprietary membrane potential indicator dye with our patented quench technology.  We recommend that both red and blue versions be evaluated for each individual ion channel target to determine which formulation will provide optimal performance.

For more information about these kits, please click on the following links:

Membrane Potential Assay Product Information Sheet

FLIPR^TETRA Membrane Potential Red and Blue Kit Application Note

Patented technology

FLIPR Assay Kits from Molecular Devices employ a quenching dye to reduce background fluorescence and improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The patented quench technology (U.S. patent number 6,420,183, EPO patent number 0 906 572) is offered to drug discovery and life science researchers exclusively by Molecular Devices, through the purchase of FLIPR Assay Kits.

Comparison of Patch Clamp and FLIPR® Membrane Potential Kit Data

Although throughput is critical for screening applications, the quality of data obtained is still the primary concern when selecting an assay. The greatest benefit of the manual patch clamp method is its ability to detect very fast responses allowing detection of very rapid changes in membrane potential. Comparing data generated using the FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kit with results from the manual patch clamp method shows good correlation (Figures 1 and 2). Both the opening and closing of the ion channel can be observed. This differs from DiBAC, which can only show unidirectional changes in membrane potential (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Comparison between FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kit, DiBAC, and Fluo-3 assays on ligand-gated Ca2+ channels*.  *Data courtesy of Michael Xie, Millenium Pharmaceuticals.  For additional data comparing FLIPR Membrane Potential Kit performance with DiBAC, click here.

Two Membrane Potential Kit Quench formulations available

Because ion channel activity is sensitive to interference, and chemical interference with a particular ion channel is highly unpredictable, the FLIPR® Membrane Potential Assay Kit has two formulations. Both formulations combine the advantages of Molecular Devices' proprietary membrane potential indicator dye with our patented quench technology. One formulation of the FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kit uses a blue quencher and the other formulation uses a red quencher.  We recommend that both versions be evaluated for each individual target to determine which formulation will provide optimal performance with the ion channel and cell line being studied.

Membrane Potential Red and Blue Kit Comparison Poster Link

FLIPR Membrane Potential Red and Blue Assay Kits are compatible with the FlexStation 3 instrument and the FLIPR^TETRA System.  For more information, click on the link to the Moleuclar Devices reagent and instrument compatibility chart.

FLIPR® Membrane Potential Kit Product configuration chart

Kit Configuration