Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation, SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd., and VitroVo Inc. have announced the joint development of a revolutionary microelectrode array (MEA) system equipped with approximately 237,000 electrodes, designed to transform drug discovery and disease research through high-definition cellular activity visualization. The companies will begin offering the system on a trial basis to corporations and research institutions involved in drug development.
Advanced Technology Integration
The system represents a convergence of cutting-edge technologies from each partner company. Sony's high-density CMOS-MEA technology, currently in development, combines with SCREEN Group's cellular electrical activity measurement capabilities to detect extracellular electrical potential through a high-density array of microelectrodes. The data is then output as image data, enabling users to monitor cell firing, measure, and record cellular reactions in real time.
VitroVo contributes an optimized algorithm for compound evaluation and analysis software, developed through joint research with Sony and the Tohoku Institute of Technology. This integration allows for rapid display of analysis results, including cell firing frequency calculations from electrical potential and image measurement data.
Addressing Critical Industry Needs
The pharmaceutical industry faces growing demands for improved accuracy in efficacy assessment and safety evaluation during nonclinical testing, along with more streamlined development processes. Current approaches increasingly focus on advanced technologies and microphysiological systems, including organoids and human iPSC-derived nerve cells and cardiomyocytes, which enable highly accurate evaluation of compound effects on the human body without experimental animals.
The new MEA system addresses these needs by enabling observation of differences between diseased and healthy cells and cellular responses to compounds at the single-cell level. This capability supports the acquisition of more sophisticated cell data, contributing to both disease research initiatives and the development of alternatives to mandatory animal testing prior to clinical trials.
Technical Capabilities and Applications
The CMOS-MEA technology utilizes complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology with a microelectrode array to detect cellular electrical activity in real time. Sony's implementation features a reduced pitch between electrodes, creating a compact design with approximately 237,000 electrodes in high-density formation. The company's high-speed A/D conversion and interface technologies, developed through image sensor work, enable simultaneous data reading from all electrodes.
Joint research between Sony and Tohtech has demonstrated that CMOS-MEA enables high-definition cell monitoring previously difficult with conventional technology, along with single-cell level data analysis. The system shows particular promise for neurological applications, as it enables observation of neurons and will likely support research and development of new drugs for mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease, and basic neuroscience research.
Trial Implementation Strategy
To verify system efficacy and evaluation methods while promoting technical development ahead of commercialization, the three companies will jointly provide the system to relevant organizations on a trial basis. SCREEN will provide the system hardware, while VitroVo will offer comprehensive support including consulting on cell culture procedures, custom data analysis, and test result interpretation.
Additionally, VitroVo will begin offering contract research services to verify system effectiveness. This trial approach will enable the companies to accelerate system development and conduct market surveys based on user feedback, with the ultimate goal of commercializing MEA systems utilizing CMOS-MEA technology.
Research Validation
The development has been supported by multiple research publications demonstrating the technology's capabilities. Studies have shown the system's effectiveness in large-area field potential imaging with single neuron resolution, field potential imaging in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and analysis of β rhythm induction in acute brain slices using ultra-high-density CMOS-based microelectrode arrays.
The collaboration represents a significant advancement in cellular analysis technology, with applications spanning drug discovery, biotechnology, biomedical science, medicine, and pharmacology. The system's ability to acquire cell activity data with greater density than conventional methods positions it to obtain test results previously difficult to achieve with existing measurement approaches.
