Axxam validates cardiac organoid platform developed by Molecular Devices and HeartBeat.bio for drug discovery and early derisking

MILAN (Italy), SAN JOSE (Calif., US), and Vienna (Austria) – August 12^th, 2026 – Axxam S.p.A., a premier provider of integrated early drug discovery services, today announced the successful validation of a scalable 3D human cardiac organoid platform developed by Molecular Devices, LLC. in collaboration with HeartBeat.bio. Built on HeartBeat.bio's proprietary Cardioid technology, the platform enables researchers to generate reproducible, physiologically relevant cardiac organoids (Cardioids) at scale for drug toxicity and safety assessment.

This initiative is part of Axxam’s strategic commitment to advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in early drug discovery, supporting the transition toward more predictive, human-relevant, and scalable in-vitro models. By integrating NAMs into its target-to-lead solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, Axxam aims to accelerate drug discovery, improve cost-efficiency, and enhance translational success.

Axxam validated Molecular Devices' 3D Ready™ Cardioid Supplement Kits, the first commercial offering resulting from the longstanding collaboration between Molecular Devices and HeartBeat.bio. Developed to address key challenges in Cardioid production, the kits provide a standardized workflow for generating functional, beating Cardioids from undifferentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in both manual and automated research environments.

Through its evaluation, Axxam confirmed the workflow's performance at both the phenotypic and functional levels, demonstrating the robustness and reliability required for drug discovery applications. These results enable integration of the platform into Axxam's translational research capabilities, supporting improved modeling of cardiovascular disease and earlier assessment of potential cardiac liabilities.

"We are investing efforts in the validation of advanced iPSC-based models for translational purposes by applying our expertise in miniaturized advanced cellular models within the framework of incorporating the concept of NAM in early drug discovery. The validation of 3D cardiac organoid technologies as part of this remit is essential to confirm their robustness, reproducibility, and suitability for high-throughput and high-content screening applications — ultimately enabling our clients to make more confident, data-driven decisions regarding safety prediction early in drug discovery," said Ciriaco Maraschiello, CEO of Axxam.

"With the 3D Ready Cardioid Supplement Kits, our goal has been to translate cutting-edge cardiac organoid science into a standardized solution that researchers can confidently implement in their own laboratories," said Mary Duseau, President of Molecular Devices. "The successful validation by Axxam reinforces the robustness and reproducibility of the platform and marks an important step toward broader adoption of cardiac organoids in life science research. We believe this will help accelerate adoption of human-relevant approaches across drug discovery and safety assessment."

"Independent validation by Axxam demonstrates that our Cardioid technology delivers the robustness and reproducibility required for industrial drug discovery," said Michael Krebs, CEO of HeartBeat.bio. "Seeing the platform successfully implemented by an independent leader in early drug discovery is an important step toward establishing human cardiac organoids as a trusted tool for more predictive disease modeling and safety assessment."

About Axxam S.p.A.

Axxam S.p.A. is a leading provider of integrated discovery services across the life sciences industry. Within the drug discovery disciplines, we support pharma, biotech companies, start-ups, patient foundations as well as academic groups in their journey from hit identification to lead generation, regardless of the therapeutic area and target class. Our services include assay development, high-throughput screening, using either Axxam’s high quality compound collections (synthetic and natural) or those provided by clients, hit validation, hit-to-lead and compound management. The same science-driven approach is also applied to identify new bioactive compounds for crop protection, animal health, food, beverage, pet food, cosmetic and perfume industries.

For more information, visit www.axxam.com.

About HeartBeat.bio AG

HeartBeat.bio AG is a pioneering TechBio company developing breakthrough therapies for heart failure through its next-generation Cardioid Drug Discovery Platform. This proprietary platform integrates iPSC-derived cardiac organoids with advanced automation and AI-driven analytics to enable scalable, human-centric drug discovery. Utilizing physiologically relevant human model systems, HeartBeat.bio enhances translational predictability, shortens development timelines, and reduces clinical failure rates. The company is advancing its own therapeutic pipeline while strategically partnering with pharma and biotech companies to co-develop transformative heart failure treatments. Initial focus areas include cardiomyopathies, myocardial fibrosis, and its effects on cardiac remodeling, a chronic disease phenotype prevalent in most heart failure patients. HeartBeat.bio was founded in 2021 and is located at the Vienna Biocenter in Austria, one of the leading life science clusters in Europe. The company received private investments by aws Gründungsfonds II, i&i Biotech Fund, IAG Invest, red-stars.com data AG, and Tensor Ventures Fund as well as grants from the Austrian promotional bank (AWS), Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the Vienna Business Agency.

For further information, please visit www.heartbeat.bio or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Molecular Devices, LLC.

Molecular Devices, a Danaher Company, is one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems, software and consumables for life science research, pharmaceutical and biotherapeutic development. Included within a broad product portfolio are platforms for high-throughput screening, genomic and cellular analysis, colony selection and microplate detection. These leading-edge products enable scientists to improve productivity and effectiveness, ultimately accelerating research and the discovery of new therapeutics. Molecular Devices is committed to the continual development of innovative solutions for life science applications. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with offices around the globe.

For more information, please visit www.moleculardevices.com.

Molecular Devices is proud to be a part of Danaher. Visit www.Danaher.com to learn more about Danaher, a leading life sciences and diagnostics innovator committed to accelerating the power of science and technology to improve human health.