Patent ID: 7266457

Claim:
A method for identifying one or more ion channels of a cell that may be affected by a test substance by deconvoluting a change in cell membrane potential, comprising: exposing a test substance to a system, in which said system comprises: (a) a solid state microelectrode array; (b) a serum-free cell culture comprising one or more electrically active cells having a cell membrane including one or more ion channels, which cells are capable of providing a measurable action potential that exhibits changes in one more perceptable characteristics selected from after potential, time to cessation of activity, frequency, amplitude, shape, spike rate, or time constant in response to a test substance; (c) an intervening layer that is acting as a high impedance seal and which is positioned between said microelectrode and said one or more cells of said cell culture, (d) accompanying deconvolution software with instructions that can be implemented by a computer to deconvolute changes in the action potential of the cells upon exposure to the test substance, wherein the deconvolution analysis does not include a spectral analysis that makes use of a Fourier transformation, and performing a deconvolution analysis to identify an ion channel affected by said test substance.