Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Mitsubishi Chemical Medience Corporation

Kentaro Ando

Kenji Yasuda

Tomoyuki Kaneko

Hideyuki Terazono

Fumimasa Nomura

Atsushi Sugiyama

Mamoru Fukushima

The present invention provides an apparatus for evaluating a drug effect enabling on-chip evaluation of the effect of a drug while the drug is acting on hERG-expressing cells. The present invention also provides a myocardial toxicity test apparatus and method therefor enabling in vitro myocardial toxicity testing that has previously been performed in vivo. A pulsating cell population and hERG-expressing cells (target model cells) are suitably isolated and arranged on a transparent substrate so that the two form gap junctions. The hERG-expressing cells are arranged on transparent electrodes provided on the transparent substrate. The hERG-expressing cells are exposed to a flow of a liquid containing a drug such that the drug acts thereon. The difference between the normal pulsation of hERG-expressing cells and the pulsation when a drug is acting thereon is captured via electric signals obtained from electrodes, and the properties of the change in potential are evaluated.

Model cell chip, apparatus for evaluating drug effect using the model cell chip and method of evaluating drug effect

Growing community of inventors

Yachiyo, Japan

Kentaro Ando