The instrument discovered changes in cell impedance of stem cell derived cardiomyocytes treated with different compounds were comparable to results from low throughput in vitro technology.
The Cardio System uses proprietary software and E-Plates 96 to measure electronic cell impedance using sensor electrodes.
Computer-controlled signal generation, automatic frequency scanning, and a measurement rate of 12.9 milliseconds per 96-well plate, detects changes in cardiac cell behavior.
Kolaja said they found that measuring impedance provides a rapid means of interrogating a drug’s deleterious effect on human cardiac function, and not only helps in early discovery safety assessment, but opens up new opportunities for investigating, cardiac biology, cell signaling and disease pathogenesis.
"More importantly, human pluripotent stem cell-based predictive toxicity assays will help researchers predict potential safety issues of promising drug candidates early in the development process and provide insight into the mechanisms of drug-induced organ toxicity," Kolaja said.
