BioCAM4096

BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ is a complete system for high-resolution in-vitro electrophysiology. BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ integrates 4096 microelectrodes in an active area of 7 mm². The BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ system is designed to be mounted in a microscope stage for combined electrophysiological recordings and imaging. The small platform is accessible from the front as well as from either side, facilitating the integration of the BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ system within custom experimental setups in the lab. 

The BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ platform consists of:

1. APS MEA NeuroChips
2. BioCAM₄₀₉₆ Acquisition System
3. BrainWave Software

Active Pixel Sensor (APS™) MEA NeuroChips

The APS™ MEA NeuroChip is a disposible CMOS-based sensor that integrates 4096 electrodes in a 2.7 mm x 2.7 mm area. The microelectrodes are 21 µm x 21 µm in size, and are separated by 21 µm. This high density configuration allows unprecedented recordings at the cellular level in a large network.

       APS MEA NeuroChip                                                                                            Cultured Neurons on APS MEA NeuroChip

BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ Acquisition System

A high-speed data acquisition and multiplexing platform for the acquisition, processing, and storing of electrophysiological signals. The small form factor enables integration of the BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ system within standard microscope stages. The sampling rate is programmable, and varies depending on the number of electrodes selected within a region of interest (ROI) within the BrainWave™ Sofware. Maximum sampling rates range from 8 kHz on all 4096 electrodes, up to 90 kHz in ROIs of 64 electrodes.

BrainWave™ Software

An easy-to-use environment for setting up, processing, and analyzing electrophysiological experiments. The BrainWave™ software takes advantage of multi-core, 64-bit processing for ultra-fast procesing of large band-width data. Live visualization includes conventional raw data (voltage traces as a function of time) from selected channels as well as an innovative 'movie mode' for visualization of the activity on the 4096 electrodes over time.

BrainWave™ Software

Activity movie from cultured cortical neurons

Example of signals from single electrodes recorded from rat cultured cortical neurons

The BrainWave™ program includes a sophisticated spike event detector and well as first-order statistics such as firing rate, inter-spike interval histograms, and network interspike itervals.  Data can be easliy exported to MATLAB® for custom analyis. In addition, custom MATLAB® analysis modules are possible as a service.

The BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ was developed by 3Brain, a spin-off company of the Centre Suisse d'Électronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) with associated technology developed at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Genoa.

With 4096 electrodes within a 7 mm² sensor, the BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ system delivers unprecidented resolution in extracellular recording. With low-density culturing techniques, the BioCAM₄₀₉₆™ system makes the recording of almost every single neuron in a in-vitro network a possibility. The high spatial and temporal resolution also makes it possible to monitor action potentials as they propogate along a axon fiber. Regions Of Interest (ROIs) may be selected within the BrainWave software to 'zoom in' on particular electrodes and acquire signals from those electrodes and higher temporal resolutions.

Features:

• 4096 recording electrodes
• Electrode size: 21 µm x 21 µm
• Electrode separation: 21 µm
• Sensor area: 2.7 mm x 2.7 mm
• Real-time visualization and images/movies, or as convtional multichannel data
• Selectable regions of interest (ROI)
• Sampling rate: 8 kHz with 4096 electrodes, up to 90 kHz with ROI up to 64 electrodes
• Compatible size for mounting on microscope stages
• On-line data analysis 
• Integrated temperature control
• For use with all types of electrogenic tissue (neuron cultures, brain slices, cardiac tissue, etc.)
• Easy-to-use interface: plug in and record
• Unprecidented cost efficiency per electrode
• Patented CMOS technology

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