Lumencor - Model VOLTA - Scanner for High-Throughput Cellular Analyses
The Lumencor VOLTA Scanner is an advanced optical high-throughput plate reader designed for performing precise transmembrane ion-channel analyses. This system facilitates the detection and functional analysis of transient cellular processes at sub-millisecond temporal resolution, accommodating both 96 and 384 microwell plates. Utilizing a dual-laser optical system, the VOLTA Scanner provides simultaneous stimulation and detection, ideal for kinetic assays of cellular activity. A typical application involves pharmacological safety profiling, such as detecting drug-induced QT prolongation using voltage-sensitive dyes that reveal changes in transmembrane voltage with 0.1 msec resolution. The instrument enables robust fluorescence analysis, aligning with electrophysiological patch-clamp studies' precision, yet offers more stability and efficiency. The VOLTA Scanner is particularly significant for drug discovery applications, allowing comprehensive characterization of pharmacokinetics and ion-channel interactions under various conditions.
At the cellular level, biology happens fast. Detection and functional analysis of transient cellular processes requires instrumentation with temporal resolution on the same timescale as the transient activity itself. Lumencor’s VOLTA Scanner simultaneously monitors cellular function with sub-millisecond temporal resolution in 96 and 384 microwell plates. VOLTA’s dual-laser optical system performs two main functions: stimulation and detection. Kinetic assays of cellular activity generally use cells in which the receptor or ion-channel responsible for mediating the activity of interest are transgenically expressed. In a typical VOLTA application for pharmacological safety profiling, drug-induced QT prolongation, a side-effect that can result in potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias, is detected. Changes in transmembrane voltage are detected by continuous monitoring of voltage sensitive dye (VSD) fluorescence with 0.1 msec resolution. The functional effects of drug-binding to the target ion-channel are manifested as changes in fluorescence-detected transmembrane voltage patterns in the presence of various drug concentrations in each well. Familiar pharmacokinetics are readily characterized in a manner analogous to electrophysiological patch-clamp studies, yet with all the stability, robustness, reproducibility and efficiency fluorescence analysis affords.