Pharmaceutical giant Roche has tapped University of Wisconsin researcher James Thomson to use heart cells derived from human embryonic stem cells to test new compounds that affect the human heart.

Roche Palo Alto ? a division of the Swiss pharmaceutical company located in California ? has entered into an agreement with Cellular Dynamics International, a research company started by Thomson in 2006. Roche is best known for its over-the-counter painkiller Aleve.

CDI will use human heart cells created by stem cells, called cardiomyocytes, to test 25 drug compounds to determine what effects they might have on heart function, according to Chris Kendrick-Parker, CDI?s vice president of business development.

The cardiomyocytes even pulse with an electrical current like regular human hearts, Kendrick-Parker said.

?[The deal] demonstrates that there is a market need for these type of cells,? Kendrick-Parker said, adding the deal with Roche demonstrates companies are taking steps to use models like this to create better medication.

According to Kendrick-Parker, the compounds provided by Roche have already been tested using traditional methods. The company wants to see if they can use cardiomyocytes as a model system for developing and testing new drugs.

According to Kendrick-Parker, using cells derived from stem cells provides researchers better results because ?they are a truly human model that has full functionality of a cardiomyocyte.?

Roche Palo Alto Director of Discovery and Investigative Safety Kyle Kolaja said Roche chose CDI because of the ingenuity of its founders.

Thomson was the first researcher to isolate human embryonic stem cells in 1998, and his team of researchers successfully reprogrammed human skin cells into cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells last November.

UW professor of ophthalmology Ronald Kalil said this agreement is a big step for stem cell research. He added this will be a good test to see how well isolated stem cells can assist research to find the ?fundamental interactions between drugs and cells.?

?It?s an important first step to see the reaction of cells they?ve isolated,? Kalil said. ?It?s a very good use for embryonic stem cells.?

According to Kalil, being able to use stem cells for the testing of drugs will speed up the research process to get helpful drugs to consumers more quickly.

?The testing can be done under much more tightly controlled conditions before moving on to live animals,? Kalil said. ?You are able to eliminate the variables.?

This is the first deal CDI has made with Roche, and the financial terms have not been disclosed.