Nonclinical safety pharmacology studies for siRNA follow a hybrid of the small molecule (SM) guidance and biologics guidance. The Oligonucleotide Safety Working Group (OSWG) has published a series of recommendation papers for oligonucleotides, including recommendations for safety assessment, because development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics is not addressed by regulations. This is especially true regarding the hERG assay, which is a core assay in ICH S7B for SM. While OSWG states that a hERG study is not necessary for IND submission, all approved siRNAs have submitted hERG data which are necessary for requesting a TQT waiver.
We developed a high-throughput, electrophysiological assay of TREK-1 function to identify novel modulators. The assay was optimized to identify both activators and inhibitors, providing comprehensive mechanistic data for high value, limited supply screening libraries, such as the venom fraction library used in this study (Targeted Venom Discovery Array, T-VDA, Venomtech, UK).
Scientifica’s PatchScope Pro is an integrated electrophysiology rig incorporating an inverted phase-contrast fluorescence microscope, motorised XY stage and PatchStar micromanipulators, suitable for patch-clamp recording.