Descrizione del progetto
La misurazione dei potenziali d’azione in migliaia di cellule contemporaneamente semplifica i test di sicurezza cardiaca
Lo screening ad alta produttività ha rivoluzionato la scoperta di farmaci e i test di tossicità. Tuttavia, determinare la sicurezza cardiaca di potenziali farmaci rimane ancora uno sforzo dispendioso in termini di tempo e denaro a partire dai test sulle linee cellulari, seguiti dalle simulazioni computazionali e infine dai test sugli esseri umani. Il progetto MAREP, finanziato dall’UE, prevede di offrire un’alternativa veloce, automatizzata e conveniente. Gli scienziati hanno sviluppato una piattaforma che consente la registrazione simultanea dei potenziali d’azione provenienti da migliaia di cellule cardiache in coltura in risposta all’applicazione di farmaci. Ciò potrebbe semplificare in modo significativo il processo di sviluppo dei farmaci e migliorare la sicurezza dei pazienti.
Obiettivo
Due to the vital role of the heart, cardiac safety assessment has become one of the major gatekeepers in all stages of the drug development process, increasing costs and resources required for new drugs. Despite the recent advancements of the Comprehensive In vitro ProArrhythmia (CiPA) initiative, there are still important obstacles related to chronic cardiotoxicities and to unreliable cell models. Thus, there is a strong need for new solutions that can improve the efficacy of drug development processes.
The MAREP project aims at tackling this problem by demonstrating a novel automated system for the comprehensive pharmacologic investigation of drug effects on in-vitro cardiac cell cultures. The novel approach combines laser excitation of novel metamaterials with high density multielectrode arrays (HD-MEA), providing high quality and high throughput recording of cardiac cells activity and offering an unprecedented and affordable method for the global study of drug effects on the heart. The outcome of the project is the prototype of a system that combines electrical recording of action potentials of thousands of cardiac cells with laser-based cell poration and intracellular recording. In essence, cardiac cells can be investigated in physiological conditions while drugs are administered and their effects studied in details on a large and reliable biological sample. The MAREP technology will boost the development of new drugs through the establishment of a novel, affordable, cost-effective and automated experimental procedure.
This project intends to exploit a research innovation born, though not exploited, in the parent ERC project Neuro-plasmonics.
This innovation may bring the laser-based bio-nanotechnologies developed in Neuro-plasmonics closer to commercialization
by introducing a novel interface that is fully compatible with standard CMOS technology and with large scale production.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum PilotIstituzione ospitante
16163 Genova
Italia