# Kinetic Imaging Cytometer (KIC) for High Throughput Studies of Cellular Physiology

> **NIH NIH S10** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $528,325

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) proposes the acquisition of a Vala Sciences’ IC200
Kinetic Imaging Cytometer (KIC) to be placed in a shared setting in the new Biomedical
Innovations (BMI) Building that is centrally located on campus. The IC200 KIC is a cutting edge
instrument that combines aspects of high content screening systems with high speed video
imaging and cell-by-cell analysis features of physiological recording instrumentation such as
patch clamp electrophysiology setups. No other type of instrument combines these features, and
no comparable instrument is available on Stanford campus or in the vicinity. The instrument will
be used for in-depth studies that probe disease mechanisms of excitable cells such as
cardiomyocytes on an unprecedented whole genome and whole proteome level. The focus on
mechanism-based understanding of disease, and ultimately the development of mechanism-
based therapeutics, aligns with the long-term strategic plan of the Stanford CVI and School of
Medicine, and is consistent with recent faculty recruitment. The capability of high throughput
assessment of physiological function of heart cells plays a central role in this plan. The instrument
will be managed by an experienced group with expertise in high content screening and disease
modelling using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models. The CVI comprises more
than 400 investigators and more than 125 faculty-led research groups and spans diverse
departments including Medicine, Pediatrics, Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering. The
Major and Minor Users highlighted in this proposal range from junior faculty who are just starting
their own laboratories to established full professors with over 20 years of research experience.
All the major users have NIH funding, and the collective benefit to NIH grants comprises over
80% of the anticipated user time of the instrument. The institution is committing considerable
financial resources and dedicated space to ensure the maintenance and continued operation of
the instrument, including its integration into a robotics facility. We expect that the IC200 will
positively impact a broad cross section of cardiovascular and other diseases, notably heart failure
and cardiovascular complications of diabetes and cancer treatments. In addition, the high
throughput and physiology recording aspects of the IC200 will propel research towards our drug
development and our translational goal of improving care of patients with cardiovascular disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10175806
- **Project number:** 1S10OD030264-01
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MARK MERCOLA
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $528,325
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-26 → 2022-10-25

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10175806

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10175806, Kinetic Imaging Cytometer (KIC) for High Throughput Studies of Cellular Physiology (1S10OD030264-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10175806. Licensed CC0.

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