Fluxion launches a fully packaged ion channel screening solution

Fluxion Biosciences, a global leader in automated patch clamp systems for ion channel drug discovery, has announced the release of an integrated and affordable solution for simplifying automated ion channel assays.

Ion channels are the third most significant drug target, after kinases and GPCRs. However, ion channels remain an underserved target class due to the significant challenges in screening and drug development. While the IonFlux Mercury system has significantly lowered these barriers, challenges remain in cell lines, assay automation, and data analysis. Now Fluxion is launching three new products that remove these barriers: mCells, Mercury Automate, and Mercury Analyze.

The fully integrated package includes everything an ion channel discovery laboratory requires to use automated patch clamp technology, and covers applications such as anxiety, pain, schizophrenia, cardiac arrhythmia, autoimmune disorders, depression, and drug safety. The complete solution includes:

• IonFlux Mercury automated patch clamp system: IonFlux Mercury is the heart of the system. The system features a unique continuous solution flow capability that provides a high level of flexibility in ion channel experiments. The system comes in 16, 64, 128, and 256 amplifier configurations and is used by major pharma and academic labs globally.
• Highly optimized cell lines: newly launched mCells are recombinant cell lines engineered to express the ion channel of interest, covering key ion channel targets including GABA, hERG, NaV, nAChR, and many others.
• Automated liquid handling for experiment preparation: the new Mercury Automate is designed specifically for walk-away automation of IonFlux plate preparation, and is capable of preparing plates for screening or dose response experiments.
• Microfluidic based IonFlux plates: IonFlux plates are standard 96 or 384-well plates with microfluidics specially designed for continuous flow ion channel experiments, including automated compound addition and washing.
• Validated pre-defined assays: A large library of ready-to-use assays for binary drug screening, allosteric potentiation effect, agonist/antagonist assays, and many more.
• Prepared bath solutions: ready-to-use and optimized extracellular and intracellular solutions for ion channel assays.
• Acquisition and analysis software: Easy to use Mercury Analyze touchscreen-based data acquisition software and analysis packages are now available with all IonFlux Mercury systems.
• Personalized support: onsite and online support using Fluxion Biosciences' recently launched support center and knowledge base.

“We’re really excited to introduce these new products that fill the remaining workflow gaps in high throughput ion channel screening", said Dr. Ali Yehia, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. "By providing and optimizing all the necessary elements for an ion channel assay, we have launched a comprehensive, user-friendly turn-key solution that makes automated patch clamp technology a reality in any laboratory."

The IonFlux Mercury fully packaged system is available immediately.

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