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Microfluidic electrophysiological device for genetic and chemical biology screening of nematodes

Microfluidic electrophysiological device for genetic and chemical biology screening of nematodes
Microfluidic electrophysiological device for genetic and chemical biology screening of nematodes
Genetic and chemical biology screens of C. elegans have been of enormous benefit in providing fundamental insight into neural function and neuroactive drugs. Recently the exploitation of microfluidic devices has added greater power to this experimental approach providing more discrete and higher throughput phenotypic analysis of neural systems. This repertoire is extended through the design of a semi-automated microfluidic device, NeuroChip, which has been optimised for selecting worms based on the electrophysiological features of the pharyngeal neural network. This device has the capability to sort mutant from wild-type worms based on high definition extracellular electrophysiological recordings. NeuroChip resolves discrete differences in excitatory, inhibitory and neuromodulatory components of the neural network from individual animals. Worms may be fed into the device consecutively from a reservoir and recovered unharmed. It combines microfluidics with integrated electrode recording for sequential trapping, restraining, recording, releasing and recovering of C. elegans. Thus mutant worms may be selected, recovered and propagated enabling mutagenesis screens based on an electrophysiological phenotype. Drugs may be rapidly applied during the recording thus permitting compound screening. For toxicology, this analysis can provide a precise description of sub-lethal effects on neural function. The chamber has been modified to accommodate L2 larval stages C. elegans and J2 stage G. pallida showing applicability for small size nematodes including parasitic species which otherwise are not tractable to this experimental approach. NeuroChip may be combined with optogenetics for targeted interrogation of the function of the neural circuit. NeuroChip thus adds a new tool for exploitation of C. elegans and G. pallida and has applications in neurogenetics, drug discovery and neurotoxicology.
Hu, Chunxiao
4892b566-6809-42a8-8285-1c1e93aac730
Hu, Chunxiao
4892b566-6809-42a8-8285-1c1e93aac730
Morgan, Hywel
de00d59f-a5a2-48c4-a99a-1d5dd7854174

Hu, Chunxiao (2013) Microfluidic electrophysiological device for genetic and chemical biology screening of nematodes. University of Southampton, Physical Sciences and Engineering, Doctoral Thesis, 241pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Genetic and chemical biology screens of C. elegans have been of enormous benefit in providing fundamental insight into neural function and neuroactive drugs. Recently the exploitation of microfluidic devices has added greater power to this experimental approach providing more discrete and higher throughput phenotypic analysis of neural systems. This repertoire is extended through the design of a semi-automated microfluidic device, NeuroChip, which has been optimised for selecting worms based on the electrophysiological features of the pharyngeal neural network. This device has the capability to sort mutant from wild-type worms based on high definition extracellular electrophysiological recordings. NeuroChip resolves discrete differences in excitatory, inhibitory and neuromodulatory components of the neural network from individual animals. Worms may be fed into the device consecutively from a reservoir and recovered unharmed. It combines microfluidics with integrated electrode recording for sequential trapping, restraining, recording, releasing and recovering of C. elegans. Thus mutant worms may be selected, recovered and propagated enabling mutagenesis screens based on an electrophysiological phenotype. Drugs may be rapidly applied during the recording thus permitting compound screening. For toxicology, this analysis can provide a precise description of sub-lethal effects on neural function. The chamber has been modified to accommodate L2 larval stages C. elegans and J2 stage G. pallida showing applicability for small size nematodes including parasitic species which otherwise are not tractable to this experimental approach. NeuroChip may be combined with optogenetics for targeted interrogation of the function of the neural circuit. NeuroChip thus adds a new tool for exploitation of C. elegans and G. pallida and has applications in neurogenetics, drug discovery and neurotoxicology.

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More information

Published date: October 2013
Organisations: University of Southampton, Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 368250
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/368250
PURE UUID: ecf7191c-2ca8-4830-aebf-3f09400308fc
ORCID for Hywel Morgan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4850-5676

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Oct 2014 11:39
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:18

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Contributors

Author: Chunxiao Hu
Thesis advisor: Hywel Morgan ORCID iD

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