Dagan Corporation has recently developed an integrating patch clamp that uses a capacitor in the headstage to sense charge. Both the noise and bandwidth characteristics of this instrument are superior to those of resistive patch clamps. However, preliminary studies indicate that the individual electronic components are adding significant noise to the system. In this study, the researchers will investigate this noise and determine methods to reduce it to a minimum. This will most likely involve the use of a hybrid integrated circuit. In Phase I the optimal choices of materials for various parts of the package will be determined.Commercial Applications:Results obtained in this study will be incorporated into a production model patch clamp and marketed both domestically and abroad.
