MCS Microelectrode Array Workshop on Cardiac Applications

In September 2011, MCS organized a one-day workshop on cardiac applications using microelectrode arrays. The workshop was held in collaboration with NMI Technologietransfer GmbH (www.nmi-tt.de).

The main focus of the workshop was on hands-on experience, which is why most of the day was spend in the laboratories. In small groups, the participants learned how to prepare and record cardiac slices, how to culture and record primary cardiomyocytes, how to do drug testing on 9-well MEAs, and how to do epicardial mapping on a Langendorff heart. The practical experiments came along with lectures about cardiac cell and tissue recordings, stem cell derived cardiomyocytes, and epicardial mapping. The scientific part of the day was ended by Dr. Patricia Camelliti (Imperial College, London) with a key note lecture on adult human heart slices on microelectrode arrays.

During the day many cross-disciplinary discussions came up and continued later in the evening during the barbecue at Multi Channel Systems.

All in all it was a great day, satisfying both the scientific and the social side. We are looking forward to the next workshop in March 2012, this time on neuronal applications on microelectrode arrays.