MEA Viability Module

The MEA Viability Module integrates multimodal impedance capabilities into the Maestro MEA system, enabling simultaneous collection of functional and morphological data from the same plate. This noninvasive solution is essential for determining if changes in cellular activity are due to functional disruptions, cytotoxic effects, or culture quality. Such insights are crucial for drug development, safety screening, and optimization of in vitro models.

Before beginning compound screening or validating iPSC-derived neural models, having immediate knowledge of cellular health, functionality, and readiness is vital. The MEA Viability Module facilitates this by streamlining workflows and expediting informed decision-making processes.

Key Features

The module offers a richer analytical approach by combining electrophysiology and impedance into a single, label-free assay without the need to alter existing workflows. This integration provides accelerated and clearer results, helping users to:

• Verify even cell coverage and attachment for quality recordings
• Automatically identify and exclude poor-quality wells
• Differentiate between functional toxicity and cytotoxicity
• Monitor acute and chronic cell death

By merging functional activity and viability measurement from the same microelectrodes, the need for separate tests is reduced, simplifying processes and enhancing result clarity.

Workflow and Applications

The MEA Viability Assay Protocol guides users through simultaneous health and electrophysiological activity measurements. Key learnings include:

• Configuring and executing concurrent viability and activity recordings on Maestro systems
• Creating and interpreting impedance-based resistance maps to assess cell coverage
• Applying best practices for using viability data to improve assay consistency and quality control

The MEA Viability Module supports varied applications such as assessing the proarrhythmic risk of compounds, monitoring neural development, and exploring gene impacts on network activity. It also tracks stem cell renewal and differentiation over time.

The Maestro MEA platform combines high-quality electrophysiology with impedance-based assessments to ensure comprehensive multimodal in vitro analysis, accelerating discovery and ensuring assay quality.