High-Content Screening for Identifying miRNAs Inducing Cardiac Regeneration and Assessing Compound Toxicity

• Broadcast Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2013
• Time: 11:00 am ET, 8:00 am PT

REGISTRATION IS FREE

VIEW NOW

High-content screening methods have proven useful in identifying molecules that affect cardiomyocyte differentiation and development, as well as in assessing their toxic effects on these cells. These methods not only provide automated cellular imaging in fluorescent, transmitted light and phase-contrast modes for fixed- or live-cell assays, but also have greatly enhanced assay development, speed, and throughput.

In this webinar, Dr. Miguel Mano of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Trieste, Italy) will present a systematic identification of microRNAs that promote proliferation of neonatal cardiomyocytes. By performing a high-content functional screening using a library of microRNA mimics, 40 microRNAs that strongly increase both mouse and rat cardiomyocyte proliferation by at least twofold were identified. In vivo, two of these microRNAs were found to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation in both neonatal and adult animals. After myocardial infarction in mice, these microRNAs stimulated marked cardiac regeneration and an almost complete recovery of all cardiac functional parameters.

Also in this webinar, Dr. Evan Cromwell from Molecular Devices will describe high-content screening assays for measuring the impact of pharmacologic compounds on cardiomyocytes derived from stem cell sources. These clinically relevant model cells express ion channels and exhibit spontaneous mechanical and electrical activity characteristic of adult cardiomyocytes. With high-content screening, concentration-dependent modulation of contraction rate and atypical patterns caused by hERG inhibitors and other ion channel blockers on these cells were characterized.

What You Will Learn

• How high-content screening utilizing automated fluorescence microscopy can be used to assess microRNA-induced neonatal cardiomyocyte proliferation in vitro, in terms of quantitatively measuring cytokinesis, DNA synthesis, and cell cycle re-entry How high-content screening can be applied to evaluate restorative properties of exogenously administered microRNAs after myocardial infarction in vivo
• How high-content screening can be applied to cardiac safety testing of pharmacologic compounds, especially in determining chronotropic and toxicity effects prior to clinical studies

Who Should Attend

• Drug Development Scientists
• miRNA/RNAi Screeners
• Cardiac Scientists
• Stem Cell Biologists
• Toxicologists
• Cell Biologists
• Pharmacologists

A live Q&A session will follow the presentations, offering you a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

VIEW NOW