Approaching Carbon-zero cardiac safety testing in drug development: Green Biology

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Metrion Biosciences ("Metrion") is a UK-based contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in a class of human proteins called ion channels. The company was formed in September 2015 and provides early stage pharmaceutical research and safety assessment services to the worldwide pharmaceutical and life sciences industry. Metrion combines intellectual understanding of the ion channel target class with depth of early stage drug discovery expertise, with a significant proportion of the drug discovery knowledge being gained successfully providing services to pharmaceutical industry clients or within the industry itself. Metrion Bioscience core product offering is centred around a technique known as electrophysiology, the assessment and quantification of small electrical currents and changes in voltage fields across the cell membranes of biological model systems and native tissues. Metrion's staff are amongst the most experienced ion channel scientists and users of automated patch clamp equipment in the world, with Metrion team members having pioneered the technique for drug discovery research during its infancy. Metrion have been working with the FDA on the CiPA initiative working party to develop a robust set of in vitro cardiac ion channel (CiPA) assays which would predict cardiac arrhythmias. Metrion will implement a "green biology" strategy for developing an in vitro safety screening service used for drug regulatory purposes. The zero-carbon approach would look at reducing direct and indirect carbon usage associated with this project, including waste (plasticware/consumables), transport, water, and energy usage (Carbon Trust's guidelines, 2020).