In response to the need for more predictive preclinical assays for cardiac liability, ACEA Biosciences, Inc. has introduced its next generation Cardio System, the xCELLigence RTCA CardioECR System. Building on the success of the impedance-only RTCA Cardio System, the new RTCA CardioECR system combines impedance and Multi Electrode Array (MEA) technology with a pacing function. RTCA CardioECR is the first platform to allow simultaneous cardiomyocyte contractility and field potential measurement. The system is designed to be placed in a standard tissue culture incubator with physiological temperature, CO2 level and humidity, allowing better controlled assays with both short-term and long-term measurements in real-time.

With the added MEA capabilities and pacing stimuli, the new CardioECR System allows for a deeper assessment of mechanism of toxicity. Field potential recording provided by MEA electrodes is a measure of the integrated ion channel activity that may be impacted by the tested compound, whereas the pacing function allows for controlling the rate of contractility for a more controlled assay. Furthermore, this combined dual readout system also provides a longer-term measurement of cardiomyocyte viability which can potentially identify those compounds causing longer-term structural damage to cardiomyocytes.

“Cardiovascular toxicity is consistently a leading cause of drug attrition and withdrawal,” noted Yama Abassi, Ph.D., Vice President of ACEA Biosciences, Inc. “A number of drugs have been withdrawn from the market due to the risk of causing a potentially fatal form of ventricular arrhythmia referred to as Torsades de Pointes (TdP). The RTCA CardioECR system provides a higher throughput and more predictive approach that can be used earlier in drug development to reduce both cost and risk. We are confident this new system will provide significant benefit to the pharmaceutical industry and help support development of safer medicines for patients. We believe that it is also well aligned with the FDA CiPA initiative.”

The Comprehensive In Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative by the FDA seeks to develop a new paradigm for cardiac safety evaluation of new drugs that utilizes high throughput, predictive and mechanistic assays which can identify pro-arrhythmic compounds earlier in the drug discovery process. An important part of this initiative is to use cardiomyocyte model systems together with platforms that can provide incisive information on the pro-arrhythmic risk of compounds (Rechanneling the cardiac proarrhythmia safety paradigm: a meeting report from the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium. Sager PT, Gintant G, Turner JR, Pettit S, Stockbridge N. Am Heart J. 2014 Mar;167(3):292-300).

The xCELLigence RTCA CardioECR system will be on display at ACEA’s 3rd xCELLigence Cardio Symposium: Advancements Cardiac Safety and Toxicology Research Focusing on the FDA CiPA Initiative in Arlington, VA on October 17-18, 2014, and the SPS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on Oct 19-22, 2014.

For more information, please visit www.aceabio.com/cardioECR_Request

About ACEA Biosciences  
Founded in 2002, ACEA Biosciences, Inc. (ACEA) is a pioneer in the development and commercialization of high performance, cutting edge cell analysis platforms for life science research. Researchers are advancing their studies utilizing 1,300+ placed instruments for broad and diverse applications. The technology has been cited in over 500 peer reviewed publications. ACEA’s xCELLigence® impedance-based, label-free, real time cell analysis system and NovoCyteâ„¢ flow cytometers are used in pre-clinical drug discovery and development, toxicity, safety pharmacology, and basic academic research.