The rebirth of isolated organ contraction studies for drug discovery and repositioning

Smooth muscle contraction is a basic homeostatic mechanism and, when dysfunctional, it is directly responsible for severe diseases like asthma and arterial hypertension. For decades, the standard technique to study contraction and evaluate the action of drugs has involved the use of isolated organ baths. However, the high cost of the dedicated personnel has led to their progressive replacement by techniques compatible with HTS. Nevertheless, preclinical evaluation of vasodilator or bronchodilator activity still requires direct evaluation of a drug's effects. The multi-well organ bath (MuWOB) combines the possibility of using a robot to perform computer-controlled contraction and relaxation assays on arterial and tracheal tissue (rings) in largescale parallel analyses.