Action Potential Duration (APD) Testing on Stem Cell-Derived Human Cardiomyocytes

high sensitivity, physiologically relevant, predictive

Stem cell-derived human cardiomyocytes (SC-hCMs) provide a unique opportunity to study drug effects on human ventricular-type myocytes, cells which are not typically available for routine testing. Use of SC-hCMs provides a significant improvement over current methodologies by offering better correlation between pre-clinical and clinical studies, higher throughput screening, rapid turnaround time, and cost savings in an animal-free assay.

 

The SC-hCM APD Assays Delivers:

  • Detection of AP Prolongation (QT risk) and EADs (trigger for Torsades de Pointes)
  • Stable recordings at physiological temperature with minimal diffusion delays
  • Cost-effective compared to conventional methodologies
  • Human test system

 

Figure 1: SC-hCM APD prolongation and EADs induced by sotalol. A) SC-hCM action potentials (APs) recorded before and after ~10 minute exposure to hERG (IKr) blocker sotalol. In addition to prolonging the APD (a surrogate biomarker for QT prolongation), sotalol induced early afterdepolarizations (EADs), a precursor to cardiac arrhythmias such as Torsades de Pointes. B) Typical time course of the effect of sotalol on APs of SC-hCM and rabbit Purkinje fiber (PF). Upper trace: rabbit PF. Lower trace: SC-hCM. Steady-state response to application of sotalol was observed after approximately 5 minutes in the SC-hCM assay, but required more than 15 minutes in the rabbit PF assay. C) Overlay of representative SC-hCM APs in vehicle control and after exposure to sotalol.
 
Compound
Rabbit PF
Canine PF
SC-hCM
hERG IC50 3
Positive2
Positive2
Positive2
Terfenadine1
1  µM
False Negative
0.03 µM1
0.004
Quinidine1
1 µM
1 µM
0.3 µM1
0.83
Cisapride1
0.1 µM
0.1 µM
0.01 µM1
0.026
Sotalol
10 µM
100 µM
10 µM
268
Verapamil
10 µM
1 µM
1 µM
0.125
Chromanol 293B1
False Negative
False Negative
300 µM1
10.74
E- 4031
N/A
0.01 µM
0.01 µM
0.011
Nifedipine1
N/A
> 10 µM
0.03 µM1
N/A
  1. Orange indicates increased sensitivity of SC-hCMs compared to PF
  2. Positive indicates APD90 change ≥10%
  3. From manual patch clamp experiments on hERG ion channels expressed in HEK cells
  4. From KvLQT/minK ion channels expressed in HEK cells (Chromanol 293B blocks KvLQT/minK, not hERG)
 

Additional information:

Frequently asked questions about the SC-hCM APD Assay
Publication:
The action potential and comparative pharmacology of stem cell-derived human cardiomyocytes. Peng S, Lacerca AE, Kirsch GE, Brown, AM, Bruening-Wright A. 2010. 61(3):277-286. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods.

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