SBIR Phase I: Development of a Novel Drug Screening Assay Using iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project enables the development of a novel technique to screen drugs for toxic effects on the heart. Using heart cells generated from adult cells like skin or fat cells, this platform captures the genetic and disease backgrounds of many different individuals, enabling researchers to conduct a ?clinical trial in a dish?. Using this platform, we can measure the effects of a drug on the electrical, biochemical, and mechanical properties of heart cells. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are to deliver safer drugs to the marketplace, which can potentially save lives and money for the drug development industry. Current methods for drug screening involve using engineered animal cells, which do not accurately reflect the human heart. Because drug toxicity is the primary cause of drug attrition and withdrawal from the market place, drug companies spend millions of dollars proving that their drugs are safe. This platform may provide a cheaper, faster, and more accurate predictive model of drug toxicity than currently available options; thus, making a significant impact on patients? lives. The objective of this proposal is to perform a direct comparison between this new platform and currently available standards, which will enable its validation to secure both client and investor interest.