Your Content Goes Here IonOptix and Sarcometrics have announced a new strategic partnership that combines IonOptixs industry-leading research instruments with Sarcometrics expertise in experimental design, data acquisition, analysis, and result interpretation. For over 30 years, IonOptix systems have been the gold standard for high-speed, high-fidelity excitation-contraction coupling data. IonOptix has developed a suite of tools with focus on the specific needs of the cardiovascular research community, designed to acquire and analyze intracellular calcium dynamics, myocyte shortening, force development, and cardiac work in isolated cardiomyocytes and thin myocardial slices. These measurements require significant personnel expertise and resources to be fully optimized, identifying a key need. Thus, Dr. Bradley Palmer founded his contract research organization (CRO), Sarcometrics, to bridge the gap between resource availability and investigators' research requirements. Sarcometrics offers various services that examine ex vivo cardiovascular function to provide the early-stage support for labs that may be lacking infrastructure or experience to successfully perform the measurements themselves. These services include:

Isometric force, sarcomere length, force-length work loops (akin to pressure-volume loops in whole heart), and intracellular calcium in cardiac slices ,

Myofilament force development and calcium sensitivity (tension-pCA relationship) and myosin crossbridge kinetics measurements in demembranated myocardium , and

Contraction-relaxation function and intracellular calcium dynamics in isolated, intact cardiomyocytes .

The data gleaned from these measurements can be used to distinguish the effects of disease, sex, pharmacologic intervention, or gene therapy on cardiovascular function. This is important for understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning cardiac physiology and pathophysiology but also for toxicology and safety pharmacology. IonOptix CEO Tom Udale acknowledges and values the role of CROs in early pre-clinical investigations. He states,

IonOptix has long recognized the need for CRO services that leverage the unique abilities afforded by our systems to support labs that could not purchase one of our systems directly. We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to invest in Sarcometrics and bring these important assays to a wider audience. The combination of IonOptix systems and the Sarcometrics teams decades of hands-on experience is a game-changer. Scientists can now confidently assess the efficacy of their cardiac compounds or test for off-target issues using high-content mechanical datasets. Sarcometrics straightforward and simple process is a welcome alternative to the difficult process of developing this capability internally.

Dr. Palmer, with over 25 years of experience designing and interpreting functional phenotyping measurements in cardiac muscle, highlights Sarcometrics' unique contributions.

Sarcometrics offers ex vivo assays to quantify cardiac functional phenotype due to pathophysiology and potential treatment regimens in terms of molecular mechanisms. With our specialized equipment, including instruments acquired from IonOptix, we can differentiate the effects on myofilament function from calcium handling. Our relationship with IonOptix is valuable as we continue to develop new techniques and instruments.

In addition to founding Sarcometrics, Dr. Palmers role in the new venture will include experimental protocol design, communication with Sarcometrics personnel and clients, data acquisition and analysis including statistical analysis, and delivering final results to clients, using his access to and familiarity with IonOptix instruments to accelerate clients research goals. With full access to rat and mouse animal models as well as facilities including IonOptix Cardiac Slice and MultiCell instruments, Sarcometrics is currently accepting academic and commercial clients in the United States.[fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" align_self="auto" content_layout="column" align_content="flex-start" valign_content="flex-start" content_wrap="wrap" spacing="" center_content="no" column_tag="div" link="" target="_self" link_description="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" type_medium="" type_small="" flex_grow_medium="" flex_grow_small="" flex_grow="" flex_shrink_medium="" flex_shrink_small="" flex_shrink="" order_medium="0" order_small="0" spacing_left_medium="" spacing_right_medium="" spacing_left_small="" spacing_right_small="" spacing_left="" spacing_right="" margin_top_medium="" margin_bottom_medium="" margin_top_small="" margin_bottom_small="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top_medium="" padding_right_medium="" padding_bottom_medium="" padding_left_medium="" padding_top_small="" padding_right_small="" padding_bottom_small="" padding_left_small="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" hover_type="none" border_sizes_top="" border_sizes_right="" border_sizes_bottom="" border_sizes_left="" border_color_hover="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" box_shadow="no" box_shadow_vertical="" box_shadow_horizontal="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" z_index_hover="" z_index="" overflow="" background_type="single" background_color_medium="" background_color_small="" background_color_medium_hover="" background_color_small_hover="" background_color_hover="" background_color="#f6f6f6" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" ba