Signals

Assays

At the core of Quiver’s platform are all-optical assays that capture how neurons fire and communicate. These assays make use of two key molecular tools: the blue light–activated channelrhodopsin CheRiff, which enables precise activation of neuronal firing, and the voltage reporter QuasAr, an archaerhodopsin that detects voltage changes through red-light emission with single-action-potential precision. Together, these tools deliver patch-clamp–level fidelity in seconds, not hours, and scale to hundreds of individual neurons simultaneously.
Quiver’s workhorse assays—intrinsic excitability and synaptic transmission—provide a comprehensive view of neuronal function. Intrinsic excitability assays are enabled by co-expressing CheRiff and QuasAr in the same neuron, allowing for high-resolution measurements of firing dynamics. Synaptic transmission is evaluated by expressing CheRiff in presynaptic cells and QuasAr in postsynaptic cells to capture the flow of from presynaptic neurons to postsynaptic potentials. These assays can be combined with cell-type markers to distinguish excitatory and inhibitory populations within co-culture systems.
Characterization of Intrinsic Excitability
>500,000 neurons per day per instrument with single cell and single action potential resolution; up to 1000 parameters per cell; with 126,132,905+ individual neurons and 9.6+ billion action potentials collected to-date and growing each day.
Characterization of Synaptic Transmission
Post-synaptic potentials measured in human neurons enable sensitive detection of disease phenotypes and compound effects such as the dose-dependent reduction of AMPAR-mediated potentials using AMPAR antagonists as shown in the right panel.

instruments

Unique-In-World Instrumentation captures a unique-in-world data layer to unlock biological insights for CNS diseases
Target-based assays
High-throughput optical physiology platform
5x higher throughput than automated ephys
Multiplexing of assays through multicolor imaging
Applicable to diverse physiological modalities
Cultured Neuronal Assays
High-content optical physiology platform
>10,000x higher throughput than manual patch clamp
Single cell and single AP resolution
Applicable to diverse physiological modalities
Intact Circuit Assays
High-content, medium throughput brain slice physiology
25x higher throughput than manual patch clamp
Single cell and single action potential resolution
Brain circuit physiology and synaptic network connectivity

output

Actionable, high-resolution functional outputs that translate single-cell function and synaptic activity into quantitative signatures of disease and mechanism —unlocking insights essential for CNS drug discovery.
Optical electrophysiology movie, 317 neurons measured simultaneously
  • Functional features related to spike timing and spike shape are computed for each stimulus epoch
  • Spike shape features include width, height, depth of AHP, slopes of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing phases
  • Spike timing features include frequency, spike frequency adaptation, latency to first and last spike, first instantaneous frequency, stimulus intensity at first spike, last spike, and maximal firing rates, etc.
  • 500+ quantitative electrophysiology measurements collected for each neuron