Improved Prediction of Drug‐Induced Torsades de Pointes Through Simulations of Dynamics and Machine Learning Algorithms

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Abstract
The ventricular arrhythmia Torsades de Pointes (TdP) is a common form of drug‐induced cardiotoxicity, but prediction of this arrhythmia remains an unresolved issue in drug development. Current assays to evaluate arrhythmia risk are limited by poor specificity and a lack of mechanistic insight. We addressed this important unresolved issue through a novel computational approach that combined simulations of drug effects on dynamics with statistical analysis and machine‐learning. Drugs that blocked multiple ion channels were simulated in ventricular myocyte models, and metrics computed from the action potential and intracellular (Ca2+) waveform were used to construct classifiers that distinguished between arrhythmogenic and nonarrhythmogenic drugs. We found that: (1) these classifiers provide superior risk prediction; (2) drug‐induced changes to both the action potential and intracellular (Ca2+) influence risk; and (3) cardiac ion channels not typically assessed may significantly affect risk. Our algorithm demonstrates the value of systematic simulations in predicting pharmacological toxicity.
Funding Information
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R21 HL122564)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P50 GM071558, T32 GM062754, T32 GM007280)
  • National Institutes of Health Common Fund (U54 HG008098)

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