iSLA – in vitro Seizure Liability Assay
ApconiX is a team of world-renowned nonclinical safety experts. Our aim is to support organisations to bring safe and effective drugs to market and advance the science of drug safety. Our lab has a strong focus on ion channel screening, and ApconiX has always carried novel research.
Our in vitro Seizure Liability Assay iSLA took 3 years to develop, was launched in 2022 and won the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation in 2025.
It is well known that there is a link between ion channels and seizure. The development of a panel of seizure-associated ion channels that supports early identification of seizure liability in drug discovery was of particular interest. The human-based in vitro assays developed have the potential to improve the process of early seizure liability detection. Current methods rely on animal studies which raises concerns around translational relevance, ethical considerations and cost.
Back in 2017 we were discussing the impact of seizure on drug development and had the idea of screening for seizure in the same way as cardiac liability. To test the concept, we organised a workshop at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual meeting in 2019 and discussed it with experts in the field. It’s fair to say some were in favour and others were not but we were sure we were onto something.
We initiated an ongoing conversation with experts to create a long list of ion channels as well as a long list of compounds that could be used in testing. We narrowed these down scientifically and began work on a short list of around 15 ion channels and pro-seizurogenic compounds. We also brought the microelectrode array (MEA) technique into the lab to look at the electrical behaviour of human neurones in culture.
Three years of research followed as did multiple posters and awards for our lead scientist, Dr Kimberly Rockley, including the Safety Pharmacology Society Carrie Markgraf Blum Women in CNS Travel Award in 2024 and the Society of Toxicology In Vitro and Alternatives Methods (IVAM) Best Poster Award in 2023 and of course the Bionow Rising Star Award in 2022.
The research to date was published in the Journal of Toxicological Sciences in October 2023 (link). The ion cannel work provides valuable mechanistic information and the predictivity of the MEA assay to seizures clinically in humans is greater than 87.5%. iSLA can be used to test compounds or candidate drugs at any step of the drug discovery and development process. It has now been used by ApconiX Clients at multiple stages including screening compounds at the drug discovery stage, and to successfully demonstrating that seizures seen in one animal species was specific to the animal and were therefore not relevant to humans.
ApconiX was honoured to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation for iSLA in 2025, following on from a Queen’s Award and a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade.
Our research continues into the central nervous system and the development of assays to help you identify risks, gain mechanistic insight and prioritise candidate compounds moving forward In addition, the number of drug discovery failures due to seizure highlights that novel approaches are required.
