Aurora Biomed Inc

Left ventricular pressure-volume analysis in rats provides insights into pharmacological impacts on cardiac systolic and diastolic function in anesthetized animals. Aurora uses the SciSense Admittance PV-Catheter technology to accurately measure left ventricular pressure and volume in real time.

Arrhythmia Model

Emerging evidence against using QT prolongation as a surrogate maker of proarrhythmia necessitates the need for adopting more predictable drug testing models. Aurora provides a clinically-relevant rabbit Torsades de Pointes (TdP) model to assess compound effects on ECG intervals and their proarrhythmic and anti-arrhythmic potential.

Assessment of drug-induced proarrhythmic risk and cardiac dysfunction at multiple levels is critical to the modern cardiac safety screening. Aurora offers an integrative approach to various functional assays for compound screening.

Action Potential of Purkinje fibers

Purkinje fibers are thought to be an important site for initiation of arrhythmias.They are particularly sensitive to hERG inhibition and therefore to drug-induced prolongation of action potential duration (APD) and early after depolarization (EAD). Compared to ventricular muscles, Purkinje fibers may be a better model for studying QT prolongation-related torsade de pointes (TdP). Aurora offers physiologically relevant rabbit whole-ventricle Purkinje fibers preparation for assessment of drug effect on action potential duration.

Cardiomyocyte Contractility

Cardiomyocyte Contractility is controlled by the excitation-contraction coupling machinery involving Ca2+ influx and efflux within myocytes. Impairment to this regulatory machinery can lead to serious cardiac conditions. Aurora uses the IonOptix system (Milton, MA, USA) to record real-time changes in sarcomere length of single isolated cardiomyocytes through video acquisition. Ca2+ cycling is monitored in parallel by recording Ca2+ transients from fura-2 loaded isolated cardiomyocytes. This unique system allows us to investigate into the details of cellular mechanisms of drug-induced negative or positive inotropy.

Arrhythmia Model

Emerging evidence against using QT prolongation as a surrogate maker of proarrhythmia necessitates the need for adopting more predictable drug testing models. Aurora provides a clinically-relevant rabbit Torsades de Pointes (TdP) model to assess compound effects on ECG intervals and their proarrhythmic and anti-arrhythmic potential.

Left Ventricular Pressure-Volume Analysis

Left ventricular pressure-volume analysis in rats provides insights into pharmacological impacts on cardiac systolic and diastolic function in anesthetized animals. Aurora uses the SciSense Admittance PV-Catheter technology to accurately measure left ventricular pressure and volume in real time.

Aurora Biomed provides a wide range of ion channel assays to quickly and accurately provide results for drug discovery and development research worldwide. A convenient, integrated ordering system facilitates rapid assessment and processing of globally standardized tests. Assays are performed manually by patch clamp or by Qpatch. Cold flux assays are also available for limited compounds or candidates that cannot be screened with manual patch clamp, with a strong linear correlation (R=0.88) and consistently identical drug rank orders between the cold flux and patch clamp methods. Cold flux assays rely on non-radioactive trace ions measured by Aurora’s high-throughput atomic absorbance-based Ion Channel Reader series: ICR 8000 and ICR 12000.

Electrophysiological in vitro and in vivo studies required by the FDA are available on either stable cell lines, cells transiently expressing channels of interest, transformed Xenopus oocytes (two-electrode voltage clamp), cardiac myocytes (freshly isolated from rat or guinea pig), or neurons differentiated from human iPS. Please contact