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Contract research organization Hesperos announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study developed in conjunction with Bayer Consumer Health.
The study, published in Biomedicine and Pharmacology, introduces a human-relevant microphysiological system suitable for modeling central nervous system stress responses and evaluating potential therapeutic compounds.
Hesperos aims to accelerate drug development by providing safety and efficacy data of chemicals and novel therapeutics for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.
For the study, iPSC cortical neurons were evaluated on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) to mimic the time- and concentration-dependent effects of cortisol on network activity.
According to the National Institutes of Health, MEA is a cell-culture surface with integrated electrodes used for assays of electrically excitable cells and tissues.
"By measuring long-term potentiation (LTP), a key correlate of learning and memory, the model successfully reproduced the concentration- and time-dependent effects of cortisol on neural networks," the study's authors wrote.
Key findings from the study showed that chronic exposure to cortisol disrupts neuronal network activity and impairs LTP, mimicking stress-related cognitive decline observed in humans.
Echinacea extract and its active ingredient, dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10Z-tetraenoic acid N-isobutyl amide, were revealed to alleviate stress-induced deficits in LTP substantially.
Regarding alternatives to animal testing, the study's authors found that the system highlights the potential of microphysiological platforms to replace traditional animal models in preclinical research on stress and neurodegenerative diseases.
"This advance demonstrates the ability of human-on-a-chip systems to replicate complex neurological processes such as stress-related cognitive decline without the need for animal studies," James Hickman, chief scientist for Hesperos and senior author of the study, said in a statement.
"The model provides a new tool to better understand how stress affects the brain and to screen candidate therapeutics in a biologically relevant context."
Ramy Ammar, director science innovation, global research and development for Bayer Consumer Health, pointed out that stress is a hallmark of the modern world and impacts almost everyone to some extent.
"By better modeling and understanding stress at the cellular level through these innovative approaches, we can accelerate the development of effective and trusted solutions for mental health and cognitive well-being," Ammar said.
THE LARGER TREND
In May, AI-powered lung cancer screening analysis software by South Korean company Coreline Soft was added to the medical AI platform of global pharmaceutical firm Bayer.
Its flagship product, AVIEW LCS, is now among the selections of medical imaging AI software offered in Bayer's vendor-neutral, cloud-based marketplace, Calantic, along with similar solutions from fellow Korean company Lunit and Us2.ai from Singapore.
In April, ConcertAI announced a multi-year agreement with Bayer to utilize ConcertAI's Translational360 and AI SaaS offerings.
The offerings utilize AI- and machine learning-acquired insights to expedite clinical development in precision oncology.
The agreement aims to utilize ConcertAI's Translational360 offering, an integrated, research-level, longitudinal clinical molecular database that harnesses the CancerLinQ network of anonymized cancer patient data from more than nine million records across all 50 states.
In January, Hesperos, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Central Florida, developed a multi-organ, microphysiological acute opioid overdose and recovery model aimed at helping researchers address the persistent opioid crisis.
According to the company, utilizing a human cell-based platform, the model can replicate both overdose and successful recovery, allowing researchers to study the effects of the recovery agent on each organ. In addition to reproducing efficacy, the model can also characterize off-target toxicity.
In 2024, Rad AI and Bayer collaborated to bring Rad AI's technology to the multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company's Calantic digital solution customers.
Rad AI's AI-enabled follow-up management, radiology speech recognition, reporting and radiology impression generation technologies are available to Calantic's customers.
