シリコン微細加工で創るイオンチャネルチップ

抄録

In this paper, we will discuss our recent approaches for the formation of mechanically stable artificial bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) by combining with silicon (Si) micro-fabrication techniques and their application to recording activities of biological channels. BLMs were prepared across microfabricated pores in thin Si₃N₄ septa of Si chips. The edge of the pores was smoothly tapered in nanometer range, which was useful for stabilizing the BLMs suspended in the pores. The BLMs showed a membrane lifetime of >40 h, tolerance to a high voltage of ±1 V, and tolerance to repetitive solution exchanges. Application to a platform for recording biological channels has been examined by using the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel as an illustrative example. Such stable BLMs with integrated biological channels have the potential for use in a variety of applications, including high-throughput drug screening for various ion-channel proteins.