SyncroPatch 384
For all your patch clamp needs

SyncroPatch 384
Technical specifications brochurewith interactive links

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSWITH INTERACTIVE LINKS

Nanion Technologies

Accelerate
your researchContents

1Key features 42Specifications 63

HTS Compatibility

84

Deck layout

105RecoBox

126NPC-384 Chip

147Software

168

Service and Support

183

SyncroPatch 384

For all your patch clamp needs
The SyncroPatch 384 takes the versatility and flexibility of automated patch clamping to new levels.
All features of the previous SyncroPatch models are preserved or improved – and further updatedwith invaluable features.

Key features
32-well mode•3
 2-well mode makes it possible to literally turn the system into a lower throughput system. In
the 32-well mode it is possible to use just a small fraction of the chip at a time, and keep theremaining part for a later date – thus taking full advantage of the economical price of theNPC-384 chip.

Advanced temperature control• An advanced temperature control system is standard, enabling precise control of thetemperature (in the range of 10-37°C) at the measurement site and at 12 different deckpositions.

Current clamp• Current clamp now implemented as a standard feature enabling resting membrane potential
and action potentials of excitable cells to be measured. Holding current can be set for eachwell individually using the low frequency voltage clamp feature.

On-board cameras• On-board cameras enable live broadcast and remote service.

CiPA ready• The SyncroPatch 384 is delivered fully compliant with the latest CiPA recommended guidelines.

Optogenetic Stimulation Tool
• Optional add-on for the SyncroPatch 384 for optical modulation of cells andcompounds using diverse wavelengths, in up to 96 wells in parallel.

45SyncroPatch 384

SyncroPatch 384

For all your patch clamp needs

Multi-color status light bars shows the system status(e.g. running, user interaction needed, finished) andallows simplified monitoring from a distance(5 modes, 360° visibility).

The SyncroPatch 384 is equally well suited for large unattended high-throughput screening campaigns in
the pharmaceutical industry, small compound screens and academic research.

Play videoSpecifications at a glance

Simultaneous recordings
Throughput
Successful whole cell recordings
Unattended operation

Up to 95%
Up to 8 hours>1 GΩ

Series resistance<10 MΩ

Chip resistance~3 MΩ (different ranges available)

Cell types

Average whole cell stability

Whole cell and perforated patch
Cell lines (e.g. CHO or HEK)
Stem cells (e.g. cardiac, neuronal)
Primary cells (e.g. red blood cells, immune cells,
epithelial cells, cancer cell lines, cardiomyocytes)>30 minutes

Perfusion time constant<50 msMinimum exposure time

<1 s

Required cell density

33,000 - 5,000,000 cells/ml

Cells required per well

333 - 10,000

Unlimited solution additions

RecoBox withsimplified designfor easy accessto computer androbot functions.

Up to 20,000 data points per day

Seal resistance

Recording configuration

6384

Enclosed
housing withvertical sliding
door. The
vertical sliding
door doesn’t
impedeaisle-ways.

Yes

Consumable shelf-life>1 year

Optogenetic Simulation

Optional

Biomek i5 liquid handler
with a 384-pipettor
arm and gripper.

Play video

Redesigned patch clamp
module with easy access toelectrodes, temperature control
and more.
7SyncroPatch 384

Patch clamp module

Fully HTS-compatible
automated patch clamp

Integrated temperature control
comes as standard on theSyncroPatch 384.

The SyncroPatch 384 is a r­evolutionary automated patch clamp system consisting of a patch
clamp module integrated into the s­ tate-of-the-art pipetting robot Biomek i5.

Play video

With 384 amplifier channels and a 384-pipetting head, all 384 cells are recorded in parallel,
resulting in a throughput of 20,000 data points per day.
With its ease-of-use and open design, the SyncroPatch 384 supports full automation and­integration into HTS environments, a key factor in the hardware and software implementation of
the system. Z prime values and a graphical user interface enable heat map displays ofcell parameters, amongst other features, which allows screeners to finalize their job fast andeffectively.

Easy access to internal
electrodes to facilitate
electrode exchange.

Heat maps
Get a quick overview – e.g. response (%) to compounds across 384 wells.

Individual valvesfor each double
column (e.g. forindividual pressure
settings).
Current clamp and voltage
clamp recording capability.
Both amplifier modes areintegrated features in the
SyncroPatch 384 platform.

89SyncroPatch 384

Deck layout

Deck layout
LED illuminated deck• For improved deck visibility making it easier to follow the robot steps.

Deck features

Improved temperature-controlled
patch clamp module
Voltage and current clamp
modes integrated as standard,
32-well mode, individual pressure
control for double columns
and sophisticated temperaturecontrol.

Up to 16 free deck positions
allow stacking of a large numberof compound plates and chips andenables unattended experiments.

TemperatureControl.

• On-board cameras enable remote monitoring of experiments and visual verification of labware setup.
• Easy to integrate external devices and accessories for additional capacity in high-throughput screening
facilities.
• Plate gripper and pipetting head can move independently in z and y directions. The gripper
can rotate, move and hold labware while tips are loaded. This optimizes access to high-density decks
and enables more efficient workflows (e.g. tips don’t have to be unloaded when gripper
is active). As an example, the plate gripper allows the removal of compound plate lids right beforeaddition. This avoids evaporation, especially during experiments at physiological temperature.

Tip Loader
positions.

Refillablereservoirs.

On-deck compound plate preparation• On-deck compound plate preparation possible – no need for a separate pipetting robot for compound
preparation or to prepare compound plates manually. Preparing compound plates immediately before
the experiment will minimize the risk of losing compound due to adhesion
to plastic surfaces. This is particularly important for sticky compounds.

Selective tip pipetting• Multichannel head allows selective tip pipetting to be performed. The selection of individual rows,columns or even single tips of a tip box allows serial compound dilution. This enables more efficiency byhaving an integrated compound dilution scenario.

Force loading of pipettes• Two tip loading positions allow an easy change of tips within the experiment, e.g. it is possible to use
separate tips for full block application.

Temperaturecontrolled CellHotel.

Nanion status
LED light.
Barcodescanner.

Play video

Fast pipette dispense speed• Very fast dispense speed (110 μl/s) enables measuring kinetics of very fast desensitizing ligand-gated ionchannels and mechanical activation of ion channels such as Piezo.

12 temperature-controlled deck positions
The LEDs for each position allow you to see
the temperature status of your solutions.

Play video
101111

SyncroPatch 384

RecoBox

RecoBox• The sleek design ensures easiest access to most commonly used functions.
On/off buttons for SyncroPatchrobot and computer.

• Control robot and experimental functions at the touch of a button.
• Access drain and fill functions for refillable reservoirs.
• USB connectors for Biomek and Nanion computers are easy to reach.
• Cell hotel status is clearly displayed.

Fill and drainfunctionsfor refillable
reservoirs.

Cell hotel
status display.
Ergonomic orientationof control element.

Play video

Bottles for yoursolutions in therefillable reservoirs.

1213

SyncroPatch 384

NPC-384 Chip

NPC-384 Chip
Different types of NPC-384 chips, including a range of resistances, multi-hole and fluoride-free chips(NPC-384FF), are available. Actual type should be chosen depending on cell size and application tooptimize performance. All NPC-384 chips are made in-house at our headquarters and are subject tostrict quality control.
32-well mode

Substrate for patch clamp experiments• Borosilicate glass – the material used for pipettes for manual patch clamping. Benefits of boro­
silicate are: low capacitance, low compound adsorption and excellent patch/seal properties.

Borosilicate glass
substrate for patch
clamp experiments.

Play video

32-well mode

Verification oftrue compoundconcentration.

• The 32-well mode makes it possible to literally turn the system into a lower throughput system – ideal
for smaller compound screens and academic research. In the 32-well mode it is possible to use justa small fraction of the chip at a time, thus taking even more advantage of the economical price of
the NPC-384 chip. The price per well of the 384-channel consumable is only ~10 % of the price perwell of consumables for lower throughput alternative systems. In the 32-well mode the unused partsof the chip can be used at a later date. See an exemplary experiment here.

External and internal solution exchange• E xternal and internal solution can be exchanged while recording. This gives a precise andmeasurable activation of e.g. calcium activated K+-channels.

Advantageous surface to volume ratio at measurement site• This prevents loss of sticky compounds to non-specific binding, hence ensuring accuratecompound concentrations.
• The open well design of the NPC-384 chip provides a much lower surface to volume ratio
compared to flow-channel systems. This means lower potential for loss of lipophilic compounds
that can adhere to surfaces – hence ensuring accurate compound concentrations.

Unlimited number of compound applications

External and internal
solution exchange.

• Unlimited number of compound applications per measurement site due to liquid removal by therobot. This allows recording of full concentration response curves from one measurement site.

Verification of true compound concentration

Unlimited number ofcompound applications
per measurement site.

• Sample collection method from measurement site is possible. A key feature for e.g. cardiac
safety screening labs since both nominal and measured concentration are to be reported (asrecommend by the new S7B best practice considerations for in vitro studies).
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SyncroPatch 384

Software

Software
PatchControl 384 and DataControl 384 are Nanion’s proprietary software for easy data
recording and analysis. Furthermore, the software enables the user to pause and modify
and repeat recording protocols during the experiment in Assay Development Mode.
Both software packages have a very powerful and easy-to-learn graphical user interface.

Windows 10 operating system• Future proof well-supported operating system. Fast and robust communication between liquidhandler software and PatchControl software.

Standard and advanced modes of operation• The standard mode of operation is designed for routine experiments to be performed
by non-experts. In the advanced mode, electrophysiologists can access extended functions
and tools for highly sophisticated assay design.

Unattended run• The new Standard Method facilitates unattended runs of more than 25 NPC-384 chips. Thedeck space is optimized for single dose experiments, but also sufficient for three cumulative
additions plus full block application. Nanion provides a Quick Start Guide for customizingthese assays.

Heatmap tool• The heatmap tool implemented in DataControl 384 offers a 384-well heatmap format
to display various parameters such as QC or OA values for every sweep (raw data andnormalized data).

IV curve analysis• Full concentration response analysis of IV curves / IV parameters in DataControl 384.

Method Launcher with milestones• The Method Launcher is a simple point-and-click interface to launch methods. The progresswithin a method can easily be monitored by working with milestones. Simplified interface foroperators, easy for non-experts.

Guided Labware Setup• Intuitive step-by-step software tool for setting up the labware on the deck space. The interface
will walk the user through the different labware and visually instruct where to place them on
the deck. Detailed information can be given on what solution/compound and amount toplace inside the labware. Finally, on-board cameras can be used for verification and would
alert the user if the deck doesn't match the reference image.

Open Data Format• PatchControl 384 writes all relevant experimental data in an open data format to disc.
This allows data analysis with external tools without the need for prior export of the data.
In particular, Genedata has developed an interface and analysis routines in their Screener
software utilizing the Nanion open data format. This is commercially available and is
especially interesting to customers already using Genedata Screener.

Export of data in Excel format• Tables from DataControl 384 can be exported in true Excel format. This eases transition
to external analysis software and integration into company internal data storage.

Unprecedented flexibility for assay development

Reports in both pdf and Word format• Enhanced flexibility for assay development purposes. For example, the system can be paused
at any time during an experiment allowing for manual control of pressure settings such as
applying additional whole-cell suction pulses or on-demand internal perfusion.

• Data reports can be generated in editable Word format. This eases customization of reports.

• Voltage protocols can be modified and repeated at any point allowing the user to quickly testout a range of protocols with the ability to interpret and adapt protocols in real time without
waiting for post-run analysis.

Z-prime calculation• This feature enables easy calculation of the screening window coefficient Z’ as wellas the coefficient of variation (CV) from the control wells. It allows an easy judgementof the assay quality.

• 32-well mode feature offers further cost saving during assay development.
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SyncroPatch 384

Service and Support
Every SyncroPatch 384 is covered by a one-year warranty. Service of all parts and components
are undertaken by Nanion engineers and technical experts.

Service plans• Two service plans are available – Premium Service Plan with full all-covered repairs,
priority callout response time and premium application support and Basic Service Planwith reduced coverage.
• Professional application support from more than 30 application scientists (most of which arePhD level) is available.

On-board cameras• These enable remote monitoring of experiments. In the event of an error message, thecameras record 30 seconds of video prior to, and 30 seconds after, the instrument isinterrupted.

Play video

Remote support option• The system can be supported remotely. This can significantly reduce instrument downtime for unparalleled support. This remote support feature is only available if the customer’s
IT-policy allows it.

“We originally acquired a SyncroPatch 384PE in 2014 (later upgraded to 768PE)and enjoyed amazing success using it for a variety of in vitro studies of humanion channel variants. The Nanion team provided amazing support during theseearly years who operated more like a scientific collaborator than an instrument
supplier.”
Prof. Al George, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA“Using a high-throughput platform such as the SyncroPatch 384 has greatly
facilitated our research, as it allows probing many different variants
simultaneously... I would like to highlight the exceptional level of support fromNanion scientists and engineers throughout the entire period of our use of theirequipment, which has been indispensable for the success of our studies.”
Dr. Elena G. Govorunova, UTHealth McGovern Medical School
Houston TX, USA“The SyncroPatch has proven to be a crucial addition to SB’s ion channel
capabilities and in partnership with expert advice from Nanion’s support
team has enabled SB to advance its ion channel capabilities to the forefrontof ion channel drug discovery research.”
Dr. David Dalrymple, SB Drug Discovery, Glasgow, UK“ We have listened to our customers and the latest demands
from industry and implemented these in our newest instrument,
the SyncroPatch 384. We go out of our way to ensure you can get the mostout of your ion channel and drug discovery projects.
Our unprecedented service & support ensures you
to will maximize your research.”
Søren Friis, Director Global Customer Relations
at Nanion Technologies

1819

accelerate your researchnanion Europe
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representative, visit our website:www.nanion.de