Michael Fejtl

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About

Michael Fejtl is a pioneering figure in the development of automated patch-clamp electrophysiology, a field that revolutionized high-throughput ion channel screening. His key research areas include bioinstrumentation, cellular electrophysiology, and drug discovery technologies. Fejtl’s most notable contribution is the invention of the "Flip-the-Tip" (FlipTip) system (2007, 9 citations), a clever adaptation of conventional borosilicate glass patch pipettes into a plastic jacket that can be mounted on a liquid handler platform. This innovation enabled the automation of the notoriously labor-intensive patch-clamp technique, allowing for parallel recording from multiple cells with unprecedented efficiency. By integrating three-channel recording tip sockets with HEKA preamplifiers and a suction system, Fejtl’s design bridged the gap between manual expertise and industrial-scale screening. Though his citation count is modest, the FlipTip technology laid foundational groundwork for commercial automated patch-clamp systems, profoundly impacting pharmaceutical research by accelerating the characterization of ion channel modulators. Fejtl’s work exemplifies how elegant engineering solutions can transform basic science into practical, high-throughput tools.