Molecular Devices Introduces the Digidata 1550A with HumSilencer for Line Frequency Noise-Free Electrophysiology Research

Molecular Devices, a leader in bioanalytical systems for drug discovery, life science research, and bioassay development, today announced the launch of the Digidata® 1550A Low-Noise Data Acquisition System plus HumSilencer™ noise cancelling technology for the analog-to-digital conversion of biological signals measured in electrophysiology experiments. The Digidata 1550A is the first digitizer with built-in adaptive noise cancellation technology, called the HumSilencer, which provides single-click elimination of the 50 and 60 Hz line-frequency noise that can severely impair analysis of biological signals.

The dysfunction of ion channels, which regulate the flow of ions in and out of cells, is implicated in numerous neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Measuring ionic current through the channels requires a patch clamp system sensitive enough to record a small signal—on the order of pico to nano amps (10-12 to 10-9 A)—and that is not susceptible to electrical noise in the laboratory environment. Improperly shielded or grounded electrical devices and wiring can inadvertently contribute a 50 or 60 Hz “hum” or background line-frequency noise that overpowers the ion channel signal and requires significant time to troubleshoot.
The Digidata 1550A HumSilencer technology rapidly identifies local line-frequency noise and suppresses extraneous noise amplitude up to 20V peak to peak at the analog input in less than one second.

“Prepping patch clamp recordings is time consuming. The last thing one needs is to delay the experiment while hunting down the offensive electrical source that’s causing interference. The Digidata 1550A plus HumSilencer is an integrated system that eliminates this noise by a single-click, saving time and increasing the data quality of patch clamp recordings,” says Martin Verhoef, Vice President of Strategy and Product Marketing at Molecular Devices. “When combined with Molecular Devices’ Axon family of products, the Digidata 1550A completes the setup required to perform electrophysiology recordings essential for basic ion channel research, as well cell pathway analysis and disease research.”