Neurotoxicity

Early identification of neurotoxic effects is crucial for avoiding adverse outcomes and ensuring patient safety with neurotoxicity assays evaluating a therapy's potential to harm the nervous system.

They are essential for both CNS-active drugs, (e.g., antiepileptics, antidepressants) to evaluate therapeutic and toxic thresholds as well as those targeting other systems (e.g., chemotherapeutics, Cell and Gene Therapies). These can have unintended neurotoxic effects due to off-target mechanisms. 

Compared to traditional in vivo testing, in vitro models are gaining popularity in drug discovery and safety assessment thanks to their reduced cost, increased efficiency, and higher translatability.

Neurotoxicity services

Our dedicated neuroscience team can help you navigate the complexity of the nervous system by replicating CNS structure and function in vitro in both rodent and human cellular assays:

• In vitro models
  
  • Primary neuronal and glial cultures: derived from rodent sources for detailed mechanistic studies
  • iPSCs and cell lines: for high-throughput screening
  • Co-culture systems: combine neurons with glial cells to study interactions
  • Organotypic brain slices: assess vulnerability of different CNS cell types in the context of living tissue
  • BBB assays: assess drug permeability 

• Assay types
  
  • Viability assays: MTT, ATP-based assays, or LDH release for general cytotoxicity
  • Functional assays: measure neuronal activity, synaptic function (e.g., calcium imaging)
  • Neurite outgrowth and synaptic development: measure a drug’s effects on the size and complexity of the neurite arbor and on synaptic density
  • Oxidative stress markers: ROS detection, lipid peroxidation, or antioxidant levels
  • Apoptosis/necrosis: annexin V/PI staining, caspase activation assays

• Omics approaches
  
  • Transcriptomics: identify gene expression changes related to neurotoxic pathways
  • Proteomics/metabolomics: study protein or metabolite alterations in response to drug exposure

We offer a comprehensive range of instrumentation and cellular systems to help design the most appropriate assay, ensuring alignment with experimental goals and the generation of meaningful data to advance your project.