Tender for a Multi-Electrode Array (MEA) System for measuring cellular electrical activity

Description

The proposal surrounding this Higher Education Research Capital (HERC) Funding 2023-24 from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), aims to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of underlying neurodegenerative disorders, and specifically to determine the role that abundant brain lipids called plasmalogens play in supporting synaptic transmission. Whilst there are no effective treatments for patients with cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and none of the available is targeted at preserving synapse integrity and function, this study addresses the role of plasmalogens in synaptic assembly and maintenance. This MEA system should be capable of measuring extracellular electrophysiological parameters including Spikes Amplitude, Firing Rate, Number of Spikes, Number of Bursts, Burst Duration, and Number of Spikes per burst, in cultured neurons, cardiomyocytes, and brain organoids (3D cultures). The system should be able to track electrical activity in neural networks and have electrode number and density that can ensure high spatial resolution, possibly at the single-cell level. The system should be also capable of efficiently stimulating electrically the sample being analysed. Finally, the system should be able to operate in a standard incubator for cellular recording in ideal conditions