Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39944108›Full record

ArticleCurrent research in toxicology2025

An automated platform for simultaneous, longitudinal analysis of engineered neuromuscular tissues for applications in neurotoxin potency testing.

Jacob W Fleming, Molly C McCloskey, Kevin Gray, David R Nash, Vincent Leung, Christos Michas, Shawn M Luttrell, Christopher Cavanaugh, Julie Mathieu, Shawn Mcquire and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current research in toxicology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Suspended Tissue Engineering with Assemblable Microfluidics (STEAM).bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Jacob W FlemingCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Molly C McCloskeyDepartment of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Kevin GrayCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
David R NashCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Vincent LeungCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Christos MichasCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Shawn M LuttrellCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Christopher CavanaughComparative Medicine Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Julie MathieuComparative Medicine Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Shawn McquireCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Mark BothwellDepartment of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
David L MackDepartment of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Nicholas A GeisseCuri Bio Inc., 3000 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.
Alec S T SmithDepartment of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Animal models of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) have been widely studied but exhibit critical differences from human biology limiting utility in drug and disease modelling. Challenges with scarcity, scalability, throughput, and ethical considerations further limit the suitability of animal models for preclinical screening. Engineered models have emerged as alternatives for studying NMJ functionality in response to genetic and/or pharmacological challenge. However, these models have faced challenges associated with their poorly scalable creation, sourcing suitable cells, and the extraction of reliable, quantifiable metrics. We present a turnkey iPSC-based model of the NMJ employing channelrhodopsin-2 expression within the motor neuron (MN) population driving muscle contraction in response to blue light. MNs co-cultured with engineered skeletal muscle tissues produced twitch forces of 34.7 ± 22.7 µN in response to blue light, with a response fidelity > 92 %. Histological analysis revealed characteristic punctate acetylcholine receptor staining co-localized with the presynaptic marker synaptic vesicle protein-2. Dose-response studies using botulinum neurotoxin showed loss of function in a dose- and time-dependent manner (EC

Indexed as

Engineered skeletal muscleEngineered tissue modelsHigh-throughput modelNeuromuscular junctionPotency assay

Identifiers

PMID39944108
PMCPMC11815696

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.