There is a growing trend for utilisation of native human cells in drug discovery to overcome common translational disconnects between in vitro screening data, preclinical animal models, and clinical trials in man. Translational assays using cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are increasingly appreciated as an accessible cell source for cardiac disease modelling, drug screening, and safety pharmacology.
Development of a robust hNaV1.9 high-throughput screening assay on the Sophion Qube384 platform. This is complemented by a suite of ion channel selectivity assays and sensory neuron recordings to create a versatile screening cascade to support NaV1.9 drug discovery programmes.
Optical voltage imaging of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes was used to assess electrophysiological effects of compounds beyond hERG inhibition. Action potential waveform analysis revealed compound-specific and concentration-dependent changes, enabling mechanistic differentiation of multichannel activity and demonstrating a human-relevant approach for translational cardiac safety assessment.