As part of our ongoing efforts to support researchers looking to build better arrhythmia and cardiotoxicity models, we have developed a new axoCellsTM Atrial Cardiomyocyte kit. In this short article, we outline the need for human iPSC-based cardiac models and how this new kit can benefit researchers.
The growing need for better atrial models
Between the rising rates of arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the persistent challenge of cardiotoxicity in drug discovery, there is a clear need for more human-relevant cardiac models.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of arrhythmia worldwide, with rates expected to triple by the year 20501. Despite the clear clinical need for better AF treatments, there are limited therapeutic options with poor success rates; the mortality rate for patients with AF remains nearly four times greater than the general population2.
The development of the Comprehensive in vitro Pro-arrhythmic Assay (CiPA) initiative has increased momentum for ventricular cardiomyocyte-based cell models that can identify cardiotoxic liability in pre-clinical studies. Read our application note describing the CiPA validation of our axoCells Ventricular Cardiomyocytes here.
However, less work has been performed on human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes compared to ventricular cardiomyocytes, despite the clear phenotypic and pharmacological differences. For atrial-specific use cases (including atrial fibrillation modeling), these differences are a crucial consideration for researchers looking to maximize the utility and relevance of cardiomyocyte-based models.
The industry agrees: results of the HESI group survey
The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) held a cardiac group survey in the latter part of 2023, which revealed valuable insights into the thoughts of cardiac safety scientists.
Key results from the survey were:
- 60% use human cell lines, of which 80% are iPSC in 2D or 3D culture
- The greatest advantages of cell line models include species relevance (90%), ease of use (~80%) and batch-to-batch consistency (~60%)
- Nearly 80% of respondents were interested in using human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes
- 80% would use them to model/investigate AF
Buoyed by the momentum of the CiPA initiative and the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, the cardiac safety pharmacology industry clearly recognizes the need, and the benefits, of human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes.
Supporting the industry with our NEW axoCells Atrial Cardiomyocyte kit
We’re excited to announce the launch of our new axoCells™ Atrial Cardiomyocyte kit, an all-in-one bundle to unlock iPSC technology for in vitro arrhythmia and cardiotoxicity research.
Key features of our Atrial Cardiomyocyte kit are:
- Tailored culture medium and optimized coating solution for growth of the cells
- Demonstrate chamber-specific pharmacological responses (see below)
- No evidence of endogenous arrhythmia
- Developed for use in advanced in vitro atrial fibrillation and cardiotoxicity models
And with everything you need (including matched reagents) in one easy-to-use kit, you can save time and money, freeing you up to focus on the science and build better cardiac models for research and toxicity screening.
This new kit contains our high-quality axoCells human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes which have demonstrated functional relevance in a range of assays (including patch clamp, electrophysiology and contractility assessments) as well as distinct chamber-specific responses to key pharmacological agents compared to our axoCells ventricular cardiomyocytes.
Click here to read our application note “Functional and pharmacological differences between the contractility of axoCellsTM iPSC-derived atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes assessed on the FLEXcyte 96″.
We’ll be speaking more about our new axoCells Atrial Cardiomyocyte kit at SOT from the 10th-14th March. If you’re planning on attending, make sure to visit us at Booth #2032.
In the meantime, if you have any questions then please contact us at operations@axolbio.com
1 Nesheiwat Z, Goyal A, Jagtap M. Atrial Fibrillation. [Updated 2023 Apr 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526072/
2 Lee E, Choi EK, Han KD, Lee H, Choe WS, Lee SR, Cha MJ, Lim WH, Kim YJ, Oh S. Mortality and causes of death in patients with atrial fibrillation: A nationwide population-based study. PLoS One. 2018 Dec 26;13(12):e0209687. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209687. PMID: 30586468; PMCID: PMC6306259.
