MEABeat: a software for enhanced electrophysiological analysis of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes using Multi-Electrode Arrays

Cardiovascular diseases are ranked as the leading cause of mortality worldwide. One promising method for gaining insights into cardiac malfunctions is through the use of human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). These cells exhibit contractile features and gene expressions akin to typical cardiomyocytes. Due to their electrophysiological properties, hiPSC-CMs are well-suited for evaluation with multi-electrode arrays (MEAs), which detect the extracellular field potential in contracting cardiomyocytes attached to substrates. This detection mirrors the transmission of cardiac action potentials across the cell layer. This research presents MEABeat, an innovative software developed for the analysis of hiPSC-CM signals. MEABeat offers a more adaptable experience than traditional software, designed to accommodate diverse analysis needs for cardiac researchers. As a demonstration, it was applied to signals garnered from experiments on drug application, maturation tracking, and stability assessments of hiPSC-CMs. The software is freely available for academic use.