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About

Paul Emery is a leading figure in the development of high-throughput electrophysiology, with his work fundamentally reshaping how ion channels are studied. His primary research focus lies in the engineering and application of automated patch-clamp technologies, particularly for native and primary mammalian cells—a notoriously difficult substrate. Emery’s major contribution, exemplified by his seminal 2009 paper "Robotic multiwell planar patch-clamp for native and primary mammalian cells" (108 citations), was the successful integration of robotic liquid handling with planar patch-clamp chips. This innovation allowed for the first time the reliable, parallel recording of ion channel activity from complex, disease-relevant cell types like stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes and primary neurons, moving beyond the limitations of immortalized cell lines. The impact of this work is profound, enabling pharmaceutical researchers to screen drug candidates on physiologically relevant human cells with unprecedented throughput. This technical achievement has been a cornerstone for the field of safety pharmacology and cardiac toxicity screening. Emery’s contributions have established him as a pivotal engineer in the transition of electrophysiology from a low-throughput, artisanal craft to a robust, industrial-scale science.