RTCA Cardio Software

Step 1: Record plate layout

Using an intuitive graphical interface, the contents and conditions of each well in the electronic microplate (E-Plate) are recorded (Figure 1). Information fields for the wells include cell type, cell number, drug identity, drug concentration, etc. Table autofilling functions, like excel or other spreadsheet programs, are available. These functions enable rapid data entry and automatic establishment of drug concentration gradients, cell number titrations, etc. Even when multiple cell types and assay conditions are being examined, it takes just minutes to record the information for every well in a plate.

Figure 1. Zoomed in screenshot of table for recording the contents and /conditions of each well in an E-Plate.

Step 2: Define data acquisition parameters and run experiment

Using a second table, the details of data acquisition are defined.

Figure 2. Steps are preprogrammed on the schedule page to control how the data will be measured and collected from the cells. The data includes the recording interval and the time duration of continuous data recording.

Press run and watch as impedance data is acquired in real time for every well in the plate. Even as data is being acquired, it can be viewed and graphically manipulated.

Step 3: Data plotting and analysis

Using an intuitive graphical interface, the real-time impedance data for all the wells, or a subset of wells, from the E-Plate can be plotted (Figure A). Data from multiple wells can be averaged, and the coefficient of variation automatically calculated and plotted. The viewing window for the X- and Y-axis can be readily adjusted, and data traces can be normalized to a specific time point (for example, immediately before drug addition. By zooming in on a short time range, it is possible to view the rhythmic fluctuation in impedance resulting from cardiomyocyte beating (Figure B). Built-in data analysis tools enable the real-time impedance traces to be interrogated for drug-induced effects on cardiomyocyte beating activity. A total of 13 different parameters, including beating rate and amplitude, can be evaluated (Figure C).