Mark W. Nowak Email & Phone Number

We have developed an easy-to-use Dynamic Clamp System, the Cybercyte, that allows for the integration of electronically-generated ion channel currents in real time (50 kHz sampling rate) into signals recorded from cultured cardiomyocytes and neurons. Our system uses both Markov and Hodgkin-Huxley models. Importantly, our dynamic clamp system easily incorporates into your existing electrophysiology amplifier system.Applications/Features of our Dynamic Clamp System:1) Restore the physiological resting membrane potential of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes by the electronic addition of IK1 to stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) enabling detailed quantitative analysis of action potentials (APs).2) Real-time passive leak correction improving the accuracy and efficiency of electrophysiological recording of hiPSC-CM APs. 3) Neuronal Dynamic Clamp System:a. Library of neuronal ion channel current models.b. Library of rectifying background K+ currents for establishing physiological resting membrane potentials and recording of stable APs in hiPSC neurons.c. Input a recorded current trace as a conductance (with variable magnitude and reversal potential control)d. Input a real-time optical signal (e.g., Ca++ sensitive dye fluorescence) to drive electronic expression of an ion channel (e.g., Ca++-dependent K+ current)4) Synthetic Cell Modea. Ability to input a real current expressed in a cell into an in silico model of a cardiomyocyte or neuron b. Coupling NEURON simulation software with our dynamic clamp system allowing for input of a real current expressed in a cell into in silico NEURON models5) GUI-based Markov Model solver software (included with dynamic clamp system) which allows the user to easily test their own models or published models. A channel definition file can be generated and easily uploaded into our dynamic clamp software.We also offer custom electrophysiology services and are capable of recording ion channel currents in a variety of cell lines (e.g., HEK), hiPSCDs and primary cells (cardiomyocytes, neurons). We also are capable of recording cardiac and neuronal action potentials. Finally, we offer custom ion channel modeling services.In addition to our dynamic clamp system, we offer far red voltage-sensitive dyes (Cytovolt1 and Cytovolt2) for recording APs using fluorescence as well as a sensitive fluorescence detection system.

Listed skills include Drug Discovery, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Drug Development, and 40 others.