Assays Designed with Your Goals in Mind

Mitochondria play a key role in driving critical cellular functions, including ATP generation, intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and apoptosis. Due to their relatively high energy demands, neuronal cells are particularly dependent upon mitochondrial function and therefore are likely more susceptible to perturbations of mitochondrial health. Unsurprisingly, aberrant mitochondrial function has been linked to progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

The Challenge

Mitochondrial health is intimately linked to the broader cell-health continuum. Evaluating measurements of mitochondrial health in the context of other general cell-health measurements is necessary to thoroughly evaluating therapeutic impact.

While these assays can be relatively straightforward to establish using immortalized cell lines such as PC-12 cells, those models may not be as physiologically relevant compared with human iPSC-derived neuronal cell types.

Our Solution

Our Ready-2-Go (R2G) Neuronal Mitochondrial Health Assay Service screens for changes in mitochondrial membrane potential in physiologically relevant, human iPSC-derived neuronal cells. This is done using a dye whose accumulation in mitochondria depends on mitochondrial membrane potential. We measure the fluorescence of this dye measured at both single-cell and population levels along with overall cell viability with a companion indicator dye. This enables us to assess the effects of your drug candidates in the full context of cell health and to better understand the variability of the response.