The Spot Detector Bioapplication can perform assays such as mitotic index, cell proliferation and viability, and receptor internalisation making it ideal for detecting activation of GPCRs (G-Protein Coupled Receptors).
The BioApplication image analysis software, when applied to early drug discovery, reduces the 'idea-to-discovery' cycle time, increasing probability of therapeutic success of leads as well as throughput in systems biology and basic research.
The technology is a versatile image analysis algorithm allowing scientists performing drug discovery and basic science research combining advanced object selection, processing, and other features into a streamlined assay.
In an interview with DrugResearcher.com Judy P. Masucci, Director of marketing at Cellomics said the software could be used by drug discovery scientists who need to screen for compounds that induce or inhibit a spotted phenotype in cells.
She commented: "It is a quick a method for performing GPCR studies. Many of our customers are performing research and drug development related to GPCRs. There was a need for an assay that would run reliably and quickly to give the best possible information for running GPCR screens."
Cellomics developed the Spot Detector Bioapplication in response to increasing demand for technologies that enable testing of potential new drugs directly in cells - called cell-based assays. It enables researchers to view cell function in real time and to observe the biological changes that occur when a drug compound enters a cell.
Masucci added: "This image analysis tool has utility in multiple biological applications including receptor internalization and trafficking, distribution of targets within cells, and population analyses. It is ideally suited for analysis of GPCRs, but is widely applicable to other types of image analysis where spots are being quantitated or analyzed."
Primarily aimed at drug discovery customers, Masucci commented that they could be segmented into two sections: screeners and therapeutic areas.
"Screeners want an assay that is robust, easily automatable, and cost-effective while researchers in the therapeutic areas are interested in de-orphanizing receptors and exploring more deeply the biology associated with the GPCR."
According to two market reports (HighTech Business Decisions (HTBD) -High-Throughput Screening 2003: Improving Strategies, Technologies, and Productivity and HTStec's - Detection Trends 2003 revealed an increased demand for higher information content and a notable shift in interest towards high content screening.
HCS'contribution in primary screening is predicted to rise to around 7 per cent of assays, with detection instrument sales approaching 150-units/per year in 2005.
The increased importance now being given to HCS can be traced back to the current perception of the bottlenecks in the drug discovery process. No longer do primary screening (ie HTS) and assay development feature as main bottlenecks.
Finding targets from the vast array of genomic/proteomic information available is a challenge, but finding targets where there is a clear disease association that are likely to make a good drugable target is even more of a challenge.