Axol Bioscience and Metrion Biosciences to collaborate on pro-arrhythmia research

Axol Bioscience, a biotechnology company specialising in the supply of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells, and Metrion Biosciences, a specialist ion channel drug discovery business, have signed a collaboration agreement to improve, standardise and more accurately predict the risk of human clinical pro-arrhythmias.

This is in accordance with the FDA’s Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative, which aims to revise cardiac safety testing regulations.

Under the terms of the agreement, Metrion will use Axol’s human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to carry out ion channel screening, cardiac safety testing and translational phenotypic assays.

Combining for success

Combining Metrion’s contract research services and assay development capabilities with Axol’s human iPSC-derived cells and culture reagents will provide a source of well-validated, CiPA-compliant stem cell-derived assays and services for use in predictive toxicology as well as drug discovery screening.

Metrion already provides a range of services that meet some of the cardiac safety testing guidelines outlined in the CiPA paradigm, including a premium panel of human cardiac ion channel assays, providing data for use in computer-based models of the human cardiac action potential to predict the risk of pro-arrhythmia.

Future plans

These results need to be confirmed in translational phenotypic assays, which will be carried out using Axol’s human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, to help ensure the results are physiologically relevant, and offer a more accurate prediction of drug liability to identify cardiac safety issues sooner and more cost-effectively.