Cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death are major pharmaceutical targets from therapeutic and toxicologic standpoints. Recently, several cardiac drugs have been withdrawn from the market or restrictively labeled due to toxicology concerns.  Additionally, withdrawal from clinical trials of late stage cardiac drugs can cause severe financial losses. A method for identifying new cardiac drugs and screening for cardiotoxic effects is needed. The current invention is a system and method for identifying cardiotoxic compounds and new drugs that affect physiological parameters, such as calcium flux, membrane depolarization and propagation of the action potential in cardiomyocytes. 

Lead Inventor
Mark Mercola, Ph.D.
Mercola lab homepage

Selected References
List of references via Pubmed

Patent Information

Full title: Development of an optical method to induce cardiomyocytes contraction

Patent/Application #: 61/266,920

Date filed: 12-04-09

Foreign filing: tbd

Burnham ID: 10-006

Status

Available for license