CytoTronics, Inc. has launched its Neural application for Pixel systems, a breakthrough technology that promises to transform drug discovery for neurological diseases through unprecedented high-throughput screening capabilities.
The Boston-based company, a spin-off from Harvard University, announced the release on April 8, 2025, positioning the technology as a critical advancement for neurodegenerative disease and neurotoxicity research.
Addressing Critical Bottlenecks in Neurological Research
Current neuron characterization techniques suffer from significant limitations, allowing only a few cells or wells to be screened simultaneously. This bottleneck has severely restricted scientists' ability to efficiently screen neurons during drug discovery, hampering efforts to identify effective treatments for neurological diseases.
Traditional methods require multiple assays to capture neural structure, cell health, and electrical activity, with each assay demanding separate cell populations. This approach extends discovery timelines and increases costs, particularly challenging given that neurons are often scarce and difficult to cultivate.
"Biopharma is making the shift towards more sophisticated cell models, and scientists engaged in drug discovery for neurological disease are looking for solutions that include the disease model plus characterization," explained Jeffrey Abbott, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of CytoTronics.
Revolutionary Multiplexed Assay Technology
The Neural application for Pixel systems offers a paradigm shift by enabling electrical imaging and electrophysiological data to be captured simultaneously on the same cells in a single, multiplexed assay. This provides researchers with a comprehensive view of cell health, structure, and electrical activity.
The technology allows scientists to measure specific responses to stimulation and spontaneous electrical activity across various neural in vitro models, including 2D and 3D cultures, monocultures, and co-cultures.
Scalable High-Throughput Screening
A key advantage of the Pixel system is its scalability. Small, low-throughput screens can be conducted on a single 96- or 384-well Pixel plate using the Pixel Primo system, or expanded to eight plates on the Pixel Octo platform.
The system's true potential emerges when integrated with standard robotic and liquid handling platforms. Multiple Pixel Octo systems operating in parallel can enable high-throughput screening across tens of thousands of wells simultaneously—a scale previously unattainable in neurological research.
Advanced Microchip Technology
The technological foundation of the Pixel system lies in its sophisticated microchips located at the base of each well in a Pixel plate. These microchips contain small electrodes providing flexible spatial resolution from 12.5 µm to 400 µm with high signal-to-noise ratios, enabling detection of electrical spikes from single neurons with up to 144 recording channels.
This design allows assays to be monitored non-invasively for months, facilitating detection of network formation and neuron activity over extended periods. The system's cloud-based software enables scientists to view and access data in real-time from any location while experiments are running, complemented by sophisticated data analysis tools.
Industry Collaborations and Applications
CytoTronics has established active collaborations with key cell, organoid, and spheroid providers that require sophisticated cell characterization. Partners including Anatomic, Axol Bioscience, BrainXell, and Trailhead Biosystems are utilizing the system for applications in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, ALS, blood-brain barrier/CNS function, and pain research.
The company reports over 40 Pixel collaborator sites across seven countries in both industry and academic settings, indicating strong early adoption of the technology.
Expanding Platform Capabilities
According to Abbott, the Neural application represents just the beginning of CytoTronics' expansion plans: "The Neural application is the first of many we're adding to Pixel's roster this year to expand accessibility and market reach."
The Pixel platform itself represents a breakthrough semiconductor-to-live-cell interface that enables thousands of multi-modal readouts on any cell type or organoid system. The proprietary 96- or 384-well microplates are embedded with microchips at the base of each well, where cells grow in culture media on top of a microarray containing over 100,000 nanoscale electrode-based sensors.
This configuration allows thousands of measurements per well, enabling scientists to simultaneously monitor cell viability, morphology, electrophysiology, metabolism, and other parameters while generating non-invasive electrical images with single-cell spatial resolution.
Future Outlook
As neurodegenerative diseases continue to present significant challenges in drug discovery, technologies that accelerate screening processes while providing deeper insights into neural function could substantially impact the development of new therapeutics.
CytoTronics' Neural application for Pixel systems represents a significant step forward in addressing the technical limitations that have historically constrained neurological drug discovery, potentially accelerating the identification of more effective treatments for conditions with substantial unmet medical needs.
