In Vitro Cardiotoxicity Assays
Screening and cardiac safety testing, from automated patch clamp hERG and CiPA ion channel assays to iPSC cardiomyocyte MEA and 3D cardiac microtissues, detecting functional and structural cardiotoxicity early in drug discovery.
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Evotec, along with the subsidiary Cyprotex, provides a range of cardiotoxicity and cardiac safety assessment services to identify potential cardiovascular liabilities from early drug discovery through clinical development. The portfolio combines screening and investigative approaches with GLP/regulatory testing, enabling programmes to select appropriate assays according to the mechanism and stage of development.
Evotec’s team was one of the first to offer high-throughput microelectrode array (MEA) testing with human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and has contributed to the MEA work of the CiPA initiative. It has also developed 3D cardiac triculture microtissues made of cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Heart tissue relies heavily on these non-muscle cells, so the tricultures model it more realistically than cardiomyocytes alone. The microtissues beat spontaneously and stay viable in long-term culture, which makes them suitable for repeat-dose studies. Services can be ordered individually or as part of a wider integrated drug discovery program.
Key capabilities include:
- hERG and ion channel testing: automated patch clamp on QPatch HTX and SyncroPatch 384PE systems covering the CiPA panel (hERG, Nav1.5 peak and late current, Cav1.2) plus KvLQT1/minK and Kir2.1, for screening or regulatory submissions.
- eCiphr®Cardio MEA assay: ECG-like field potential recordings from human iPSC cardiomyocytes, measuring beat rate, sodium spike and field potential duration (QT-like) along with conduction velocity. Because it covers all major ion channels and beta-adrenergic effects together, it can pick up hERG trafficking effects that single-channel assays miss.
- Cardiotox Screen: a multiparametric assay combining fast kinetic calcium transient readings with high content imaging and cellular ATP, flagging functional and structural cardiotoxicity in one study.
- 3D cardiac microtissues: uniform, beating triculture microtissues imaged in full by confocal high content screening, used to assess structural cardiotoxicity, calcium dysregulation and hypertrophy.
