Live Cell Technologies Canada (LCT Canada, LCTC)

Biological cells exert a broad range of forces, dysfunction of which is associated with a myriad of diseases from asthma to cardiovascular disease and cancer metastasis. While cell biophysics is an emerging target of diagnostics and therapeutics in human disease, there are no clinical or industrial methods for characterizing the forces exerted by cells. To bridge this gap, we have translated a bench technology, Traction Force Microscopy (TFM), to a high-throughput methodology, Contractile Force Screening (CFS). To test novel pharmaceuticals for effectiveness and cardiac safety, we offer CFS as a new drug screening technology. CFS bypasses molecular intermediates and other indirect endpoints used in current screening technologies and instead jumps directly to the key physiological endpoint – cellular contractility. The value proposition for CFS is clear: identifying therapeutic leads while eliminating false positives early in the discovery process, and identifying cardiac muscle dysfunction that may cause drug recall, leading to more economical, faster, and safer pharmaceutical development.