Axion BioSystems, a leading provider of advanced live-cell analysis technology, today announced the launch of Synexus, a first-of-its-kind platform for disease research and therapeutic development. Synexus brings single-cell resolution to high-throughput, label-free workflows, helping pharmaceutical researchers generate more informative assays at the scale drug development demands.
The innovative platform combines industry-leading microelectrode array (MEA), next-generation high-density MEA (HD-MEA), and groundbreaking electrical imaging to connect function and morphology on the same plate. Researchers can investigate cellular activity alongside structural changes across compounds, concentrations, and time points, gathering richer evidence for compound prioritization, neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity assessment, and mechanistic research.
“Understanding a candidate’s promise and potential liabilities early in development helps pharmaceutical teams make informed decisions before committing to larger, more costly studies,” said Julien Bradley, CEO of Axion BioSystems. “Synexus opens a new chapter in drug screening, bringing single-cell detail and a more connected view of drug response to experiments at scale. We’re expanding what researchers can learn from each assay—and the evidence they can use to decide what moves forward.”
More information from every assay
As drug development increasingly adopts human cell models and new approach methodologies (NAMs), researchers need assays that capture biological complexity at screening scale. Synexus supports noninvasive assessment of human neural and cardiac cultures, including those derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, allowing scientists to assess disease phenotypes and follow drug responses.
To examine those responses in greater detail, Synexus features Pixel HD technology for HD-MEA and high-content electrical imaging. Together, these capabilities take high-definition analysis beyond electrophysiology to capture cellular activity, organization, and structure.
Across its measurement capabilities, Synexus offers:
- High-definition analysis at scale: Pixel HD technology provides more than 138,000 electrodes per well at 12.5 µm spacing, bringing single-cell-level spatial detail to high-throughput analysis across 96 wells simultaneously.
- Connected biological context: Measurements from the same plate help researchers examine how changes in electrophysiology relate to changes in cellular organization.
- Efficient compound comparisons: Simultaneous recording from up to 96 wells – with 384-well coming soon – keeps treatments, controls and replicates aligned in time.
- Assay continuity, expanded discovery: Continue established MEA assays used across pharmaceutical safety testing, then add high-definition capabilities to investigate findings more deeply and pursue new lines of inquiry.
- Rich datasets for advanced analysis: Functional, spatial and structural measurements provide data for machine learning and AI model development, supporting analysis of drug-response patterns and cellular heterogeneity.
“In our conversations with scientists, we hear a recurring challenge: getting more information from each assay without making experiments harder to run,” said Stacie Chvatal, Vice President of Product Management at Axion BioSystems. “That feedback helped shape Synexus. We’re bringing cellular activity and structural context together so teams can better understand a compound’s effects across the conditions and replicates their studies require.”
Built for today’s assays and tomorrow’s applications
Researchers can configure Synexus around established assays, then add measurement capabilities, analysis tools, plate formats, and workflows as their programs develop. This expandable architecture helps laboratories protect their investment while pursuing new applications.
Synexus builds on more than 15 years of Axion BioSystems’ experience and an established live-cell analysis ecosystem that includes more than 1,500 systems installed worldwide and thousands of peer-reviewed publications using Axion technology. Axion’s industry-leading Maestro MEA technology has an established track record in pharmaceutical safety research, with widespread adoption among leading drug developers.
To learn more, visit the Synexus product page.
Axion BioSystems develops advanced live-cell analysis technologies that enable scientists to measure, monitor, and understand cellular function. With innovations spanning MEA and HD-MEA electrophysiology, electrical imaging, impedance, and live-cell imaging, Axion provides powerful tools to investigate biological complexity, characterize cellular responses, and advance drug discovery, disease modeling, and safety research. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Axion BioSystems has offices in the Netherlands, the UK, and China.
