Microelectrode Array (MEA) Screening Services

MEA screening is a powerful, noninvasive tool that records extracellular electrical signals and field potentials in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived neurons or cardiomyocytes across a grid of tiny, embedded electrodes in real time. Using this technique, we can measure the electrical activity of multicellular networks of cells in vitro.

Read Dr Kimberly Rockley’s blog on the possibilities human neuronal cells present us with in drug safety testing:

Seizure Liabilityhi | Apconix
Shutterstock 2446232437 Scaled | Apconix

Why and when is MEA screening used?

Whilst MEA has a variety of applications, it is particularly useful in determining the effect of a candidate drug on the pattern of electrical firing in cardiomyocyte or neuronal cells. This is in the form of a collection of hiPSC cardiomyocytes (hiPSC CMs) that connect and communicate to form a functional syncytium, a connected group of cells that acts together as a coordinated network, or a network of hiPSC neurons that synapse and synchronise their action potentials.

MEA screening also allows us to measure impedance, which is a measure of the connectivity of cells with the electrode substrate. For all cell types, connectivity to the electrode substrate serves as an indicator of cellular viability. Impedance, therefore, gives us a sensitive measurement of cell health. For example, when studying a cardiomyocyte syncytium, we can use impedance to measure the resulting contractility of the cells in response to different drug compounds.

MEA screening applications at ApconiX

At ApconiX, we apply MEA technology to study a wide range of drug toxicities, including cardiac and neuronal liabilities. We also offer MEA assay services to assess the neuronal pathways involved in pain sensation in response to a candidate drug.

Here are the microelectrode array screening services we offer:

Anatomical Heart Illustration With An Electrode Grid Motif, Representing Cardiac Mea Screening.

Cardiac MEA assay service

Measure the effect of a candidate drug compound on action potential morphology and duration, field potential (FP), conduction propagation and contractility.

Seizure Mea Circle | Apconix

Seizure MEA assay service

Asses electrical activity in neuronal stem cells that are associated with known drug induced central nervous system (CNS) adverse effects.

Brain Illustration With A Crescent Moon, Representing Sedation Mea Screening.

Sedation MEA assay service

Identifie drug induced sedation liabilities across a wide range of families and known sedative adverse effects.

Hand Illustration Showing Sensory Nerve Pathways And A Highlighted Pain Signal.

Pain MEA assay
service

Identifie peripherally acting analgesics in human cells or facilitates mechanistic studies at a particular target.

At ApconiX, we understand that no two drug discovery development projects are the same. We can therefore incorporate just some, or all, of the above services to best suit the needs of your project. Our team of experts are always on hand to help determine which MEA assays are best suited to your particular drug candidate.

Anatomical Heart Model Beside A Clear Multiwell Plate And Turquoise Notebook On A Light Tabletop.
Multicoloured Anatomical Brain Model Beside A Clear Multiwell Plate And Turquoise Notebook.

The benefits of MEA screening for cardiac and neuronal applications

Take a look at how our MEA screening services could benefit your project:

  • High throughput screening: ideal for pharmacological testing, cardiotoxicity assays (e.g. action potential duration assessment), and neurotoxicity screening (e.g. seizure screening). We can screen many compounds simultaneously before costly in vivo studies begin
  • Noninvasive and label free: Measures electrical activity continuously over weeks or months without damaging cells or requiring reporter dyes
  • Network level resolution: Captures spikes, bursts, and synchrony across whole networks of cells using multiple electrodes
  • Functional maturation tracking: Monitors how hiPSC cultures develop electrophysiological properties over time

How an MEA screening study works

A microelectrode array assay is designed to answer a specific question in drug discovery: typically, whether a new drug compound is likely to cause toxicity in the CNS or heart.

ApconiX Protocol:

  1. A MEA plate is first seeded with stem cell derived human cardiomyocytes or neurons. Once the cells mature, they must meet stringent Quality Control (QC) criteria.
  2. Baseline and treatment recordings are taken once the cells are ready to be dosed. Key biomarker data describing the cell’s real time response to drug administration are carefully recorded by the Axion Maestro Pro. This includes Field Potential Duration (FPD) for cardiac safety and spike rates and burst frequencies for CNS safety.
  3. The results from the MEA screening assay are transformed into concentration response curves using statistical modelling. We then assess the drug’s effects based on historical data and comparison to concurrent positive and negative controls.
  4. Recorded differences in electrical activity are used to determine how the neuronal or cardiac cell is behaving in response to the drug. This might include states of hyperexcitability or synaptic inhibition in neuronal cells, or signs of arrythmia in cardiomyocytes.
  5. Once the MEA assay data has been used to better understand how a drug compound impacts cellular function, the findings, along with discussion with the relevant experts, can guide developers’ decisions on the viability of potential drug leads. This might point to the reengineering of a compound or a recommendation to stop developing the drug entirely.

We’re currently working with Axion BioSystems to optimise the wider reproducibility and comparability of hiPSC neural MEA assays in early CNS liability identification. Read more about our research here.

Gloved Hands Using A Pipette To Add Liquid To A Multiwell Culture Plate Inside A Laboratory Cabinet.
Laboratory Workstation With Coloured Plots On A Monitor, A Multiwell Plate And An Open Research Notebook.
Two Researchers In Lab Coats Reviewing A Printed Report Together In A Laboratory.
Mea Screening Report In A Red Folder With Coloured Tabs, Beside A Turquoise Notebook And Pen.

What will I receive?

You will receive a comprehensive report including:

  • An overview of the experiments performed, including details of who carried out the work and a detailed summary of experimental methods
  • Representative raster plots showing cell activity at each test concentration across each electrode in each MEA well for easy visual comparison of drug induced effects
  • QC information, including graphical presentation of all replicates to show the degree of variability in the dataset
  • Summarised results of MEA analysis in an easy to interpret colour coded table
  • An invitation to discuss your results with our experts

MEA screening and related approaches

MEA is one of a suite of electrophysiological techniques that can be used to study the electrical activity of excitable cells. This includes screening for cardiac, seizure, or sedation liability.

With its ability to study cells in a more natural environment (that is, a whole population of cells expressing multiple ion channels) a MEA assay can be used both as an initial screen and to validate the resulting network phenotype. Whereas patch clamp, with its focus on individual ion channels or detached cells, can be used to better pin down underlying biological mechanisms or to precisely calculate key metrics such as IC50 values. We therefore find that the broader scope of MEA (in combination with the finer scope of patch clamp) tends to work well as part of a multi lens strategy.

Our experts can work with you to find the right approach for your specific drug development project.

Evidence and expertise

Our experts have decades of combined expertise when it comes to drug safety and our MEA screening services are no exception.

Meet our specialist team members:

  • Michael Morton (PhD): Oversees all electrophysiology work done in the lab. An ApconiX cofounder, Mike is an expert electrophysiologist and ion channel biologist with extensive experience gained in academia and industry.
  • Kimberly Rockley (PhD): Leads the MEA CNS hiPSC methods team and developed our proprietary in vitro seizure liability assay (iLASeizure®) which contributed to her being awarded the Bionow Rising Star Award.
  • Louisa Zolkiewski (PhD) is working to expand our preclinical screening capabilities, optimise our safety assays and determine Structure Activity Relationships (SAR) underlying neural toxicities.
  • Karen Jones (PhD): established our hiPSC derived cardiomyocyte assays, including MEA, to expertly assess conduction, contractility and cytotoxicity across whole populations of cells. Karen is currently looking at different ways to further streamline this assay.
  • Katie Newman (PhD): runs much of our CNS MEA client work. Currently, Katie is applying her expertise in neuroscience to explore translatability and further optimisation of our MEA seizure assay.
  • Emily Johnson (PhD): is our specialist in pain research and an expert in patch clamp electrophysiology. Emily is actively researching the identification of peripherally acting analgesics in human cells and the optimisation of target expression for mechanistic studies.
Dr Michael Morton
Dr Louisa Zolkiewski
Dr Katie Newman
Dr Kimberley Rockley
Dr Karen Jones
Dr Emily Johnson

FAQs

In preclinical drug safety, MEA can be used to assess cardiotoxicity & proarrhythmic risk in hiPSC CMs grown in a flat 2D syncytium. Adverse CNS effects can be assessed in hiPSC derived neurons cultured in a 2D synaptic network. As both approaches use human specific receptors and ion channels they can accurately model human biology and are therefore core components of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines.

Whilst acute studies are our most requested study design, we can also offer repeat dosing (for example, to mirror a clinical dosing schedule) and washout / recovery designs.

We require around 5mg of your chosen compound, as well as information regarding its molecular weight and the number of dosing concentrations required. We also appreciate having any information on the solubility of your drug candidate and its in vivo Cmax (if it is known or has been predicted) to help us best tailor the MEA screening study to your specific needs.

Whilst MEA is a powerful tool in assessing drug safety, it is important to be aware of its limitations. For example, hiSPCs don’t always behave exactly like mature adult cells and tend to more closely resemble neonatal or foetal cells in phenotype.

However, the team at ApconiX are highly experienced in understanding how and where MEA fits into a successful drug development project and can always tailor an MEA screen to suit the specific needs of your drug safety assessment.

Since MEA assessment bridges the gap between high throughput molecular screening and later stage in vivo testing, it serves as a critical component to a multitiered approach.

As well as supporting the derisking and replacement of animal testing, the results of MEA assessment directly translate to clinical studies ¾ including in the calculating of drug safety margins and in the functional contextualisation of the results of molecular safety data (such as hERG assays) in whole, living cells.

Want to find out more about our MEA screening services?

Find out more about our latest research by taking a look at our latest publications and conference posters.

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Scientifically reviewed by: Dr Michael Morton on 24/09/2026