In vitro pharmacological assay based on human iPSC-derived neurons is a valuable alternative to the standard animal models. One of the main methods for this purpose is imaging drug-induced Ca²⁺ responses in neuronal networks cultured on multi-well plates. Preparing iPSC-derived neurons, however, requires costly optimization and lengthy culturing, and one possible solution to this problem would be to fabricate neuron plates that can be transported from the manufacturer to the user.
We have developed transportable neuron plates for high-throughput screening by optimizing the plate coating and culture conditions. Ca²⁺ imaging showed that human iPSC-derived neurons cultured in these plates exhibit excellent drug responses.
The transportable plates provide ready-to-use human neuron assay systems and would contribute to accelerate drug development.