Membrane Potential Assay Kit
Reagent System for FLIPR & FlexStation
- Fast response times
- No wash
- Simple assay
- High throughput
Patch clamping is considered the "gold standard" for measuring membrane potential, but it is too slow and labor
intensive to use in a primary screen. A much faster method for screening applications uses voltage-sensitive dyes
on the FLIPR Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader system. However, traditional dyes have several limitations, including
slow response times and temperature sensitivity. The FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kits from Molecular Devices
deliver higher throughput than previous automated FLIPR protocols, while showing good correlation with manual patch
clamping data.
Unmatched throughput
FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kits allow the elimination of wash steps and much shorter read times on the instrument.
Data for a 384-well plate can be collected in less than 2 minutes, as opposed to up to 30 minutes with other dyes,
such as DiBAC. And because the proprietary indicator dye in the Membrane Potential Assay Kit is much less sensitive
to temperature changes than DiBAC, plates can be set up ahead of time and stacked for batch runs, making the assay
highly amenable to automation.
Just mix and read
Eliminating wash steps also leads to healthier, more responsive cells. The less the cells are handled, the better
they behave, and the better the data obtained will be. With the kit, the cells are simply incubated with the reagent
for up to one hour then transferred directly to the FLIPR system, without any additional steps.
Simplified protocol
With the FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kit, not only is the reagent much less temperature sensitive than DiBAC it is
also less sticky, so there is no need to pre-soak tips, further increasing throughput. Other simplifications to the
protocol include not needing to mix large batches of dye before the assay, or having to introduce dye into compound
plates.
Fast response times
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 patch clamping studies is very fast response times, allowing detection
of very rapid changes in membrane potential. Comparing data generated using the FLIPR Membrane Potential Assay Kit
with patch clamping results shows good correlation (Figures 1 and 2). Both the opening and closing of channels can
now be observed. This differs from DiBAC, which very often can only show unidirectional changes in membrane potential
(Figure 3).
Alternative formulations
Because ion channel activity is sensitive to interference, and chemical interference with a particular 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.
This allows the user to test the response in their ion channels cell line of interest. We recommend that both Red and
Blue versions be evaluated for each individual target to determine which formulation will provide optimal performance.
Explorer sized kits
Product Number |
R8128 |
R8042 |
R8126 |
Product Name |
Membrane Potential Evaluation Assay Kit
(1/2 Red, 1/2 Blue) |
Membrane Potential Assay Kit, Blue |
Membrane Potential Assay Kit, Red |
Unit Size |
Sufficient reagent for 10 plates (96- or 384-well) |
Pricing |
Volume discounts given for quantities of 5, 10, and 50 unit orders. |
Bulk sized kits
Product Number |
R8034 |
R8123 |
Product Name |
Membrane Potential Assay Kit, Blue |
Membrane Potential Assay Kit, Red |
Unit Size |
Sufficient reagent for 100 plates (96- or 384-well) |
Pricing |
Volume discounts given for quantities of 5, 10, and 50 unit orders. |
To place an order, call your local Molecular Devices Office or
Molecular Devices Distributor.
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