The FDA’s Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative is designed to remove the over-reliance on hERG data to predict human clinical cardiac risk, with recent results suggesting that inclusion of additional cardiac ion channels and assays (e.g. peak and late Nav1.5, Cav1.2, dynamic hERG) improve risk predictions of in silico action potential models. The CiPA working groups currently use a mixture of manual and automated patch-clamp (APC) platform data, but future CiPA drug screening will likely rely on APC data.
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.