Specialist Neuroscience Services

CONTACT US

Highly specialised and tailored neuronal assays to accelerate your drug discovery research for neurological disorders, including pain

Our specialist team of neuroscientists are experts in their field and can help your biology team generate cell lines for your targets.

With over 150 years’ ion channel drug discovery experience with indications such as pain, neurodegeneration, psychiatry and more, we can advance your project to the next milestone.

We are highly experienced in translational assays, providing quality recordings from relevant tissues expressing your target of interest.

We are also experts in the manual patch clamp technique and offer higher-throughput automated patch clamp services.
Download Neuroscience Brochure

Panel of models with increasing complexity and translational relevance

Our panel of models allow for more accurate prediction of human responses, reduce the risk of late-stage failures and provide a thorough understanding of drug mechanisms.
Ion channel cell lines for both central and peripheral nervous system targets
Primary neuronal cultures, such as dissociated cortical, trigeminal or dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from rodents
Human iPSC-derived neurons
Figure 1. Visual summary of primary neuronal cells used in electrophysiological recordings. A. Rodent dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron preparation for manual patch-clamp studies and a bright-field image of dissociated cells seeded on a coverslip. B. DRG action potential responses to low and high prolonged current injections.

Range of assay methodologies

A range of assay methodologies is vital in drug discovery because it ensures a thorough evaluation of drug candidates from multiple perspectives. This approach increases the likelihood of identifying effective and safe drugs, reduces the risk of late-stage failures, and supports the overall success of the drug development process. By leveraging diverse assays, researchers can optimize drug candidates, address challenges as they arise, and ultimately bring better therapies to market.
Manual and automated patch-clamp
Fluorescence-based assays
Multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings
Our neuroscience assays are used to:
Investigate the mechanism of action for pre-clinical compounds in early phases of neuroscience research programs
Confirm compound effects against specific ion channels in native neuronal backgrounds
Address the neurotoxicity of compounds and assess the effects of compounds on a range of excitability parameters

Heterologous cell lines and integrative assays

Screening of your compounds in a neuroscience setting is primarily driven by the fact that they have been designed to modulate CNS or peripheral nervous system targets and signalling pathways, including but not limited to ion channels. Our neuroscience experts can carry out this screening using heterologous cell lines expressing human or rodent neuronal proteins, as well as offering more integrative assays employing rodent and human cell lines or in acutely cultured native cells from the rodent peripheral and central nervous system.

Selectivity and safety profiling of lead compounds and IND candidates

Get insight to selectivity and safety profiling of lead compounds and IND candidates, either as part of an existing screening cascade or because in vivo testing revealed a neurological signal. We have developed and validated an industry-standard rat cortical CNS neuron assay that can reliably detect the seizure-inducing liability of a wide range of reference compounds (as well as serve as a model to profile anti-epileptic drugs). We also have deep expertise with rodent dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons which can be used to assess peripheral neurotoxicity.

Neuroscience screening and toxicity testing reaches the ultimate translational step when it is carried out in human iPSC-derived neurons, and primary cell cultures. The use of differentiated human stem cell-derived neurons also allows the creation of patient-derived and disease-specific translational assays, opening the door onto one of the more exciting aspects of modern drug discovery.

Studying ion channels on the lysosomal membrane

Studying ion channels on the lysosomal membrane is essential for understanding lysosomal function, cellular homeostasis, and the development of various diseases. This research has the potential to uncover new therapeutic targets and improve our knowledge of fundamental cellular processes.

In this video we demonstrate how to perform the lysosomal patch clamp technique to study ion channels on the lysosomal membrane.

Case study: Multi-assay High-throughput drug repurposing screen:
KCNC1

Eliana is a two-year-old from Canada with a de novo mutation (V434L) in her KCNC1 gene which encodes for the Kv3.1 channel in central nervous system neurons such as cerebellar neurons and GABAergic interneurons. The mutation manifests as a variety of neurological disorders which can include myoclonic epilepsy and ataxia due to K+ channel mutation, developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), or hypotonia, depending on the specific variant.

The KCNC1 Foundation collaborated with Perlara, who approached Metrion Biosciences, where manual and automated (Qube) patch-clamp techniques and Fluorescent Imaging Plate Reader (FLIPR) high throughput screens (HTS) against the mutant channel were performed to identify hit compounds.
Read the full Case Study
Neuroscience Resource Library
Specialist Neuroscience Services

Highly specialised and tailored neuronal assays for pharmacological screening.

Scientifica PatchScope Pro: an integrated calcium-imaging and patch-clamp system suitable for selecting specific subsets of neurons for electrophysiology recordings

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.

VIEW ALL RESOURCES
Metrion Biosciences

Let’s work together

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your specific assay requirements, we will put you directly in touch with a member of our scientific team. Contact us today to discover more.
Contact us for a quote or discussion
Metrion Biosciences is a contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in high-quality preclinical drug discovery services.
magnifier
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram