Assays

Assess the functional response triggered by a compound, measuring intracellular signaling or enzymatic activity.

Second Messenger Assays

For measuring signalling cascades such as:

• Calcium mobilization
• cAMP accumulation
• Inositol phosphate accumulation
• Arachidonic acid metabolism
• Nitric oxide synthase
• β-arrestin recruitment

Enzymatic Assays

Determine inhibition or activation of key enzymes:

• Kinase profiling
• Phosphodiesterases
• Proteases
• Polymerases
• Phosphatases
• Beta-secretase
• Acetylcholinesterase
• Monoamine oxidases (MAO-A, MAO-B)
• Epigenetic enzymes
• Metabolic enzymes

Ion Channels

Evaluate compound effects on voltage-gated or ligand-gated
ion channels:

• Voltage-Gated: Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, hERG
• Ligand-Gated: NMDA, GABAA

To measure the affinity and selectivity of ligands for target receptors (typically GPCRs), transporters, and
nuclear receptors.

G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)

Key receptors in cellular signaling:

• Adenosine
• Dopamine
• Histamine
• Adrenergic
• Serotonin
• Cannabinoid
• Muscarinic
• Opioid
• Chemokine

Transporters

Crucial in neurological and psychiatric disorders:

• Dopamine (DAT)
• Noradrenaline (NET)
• Serotonin (SERT)

Nuclear Receptors

Involved in hormonal and metabolic processes:

• Estrogen (ER)
• Androgen (AR)
• Progesterone (PR)
• Glucocorticoid (GR)
• Thyroid (TR)
• Prostanoid Receptors (PR)
• PPARs

Functional or morphological evaluation without target-specific hypotheses:

High Content Screening (HCS)

High-content screening (HCS) is an automated, microscopy‑based cell assay technology that combines high‑throughput imaging with multiparametric image analysis to quantify complex cellular phenotypes in response to compounds, genes, or other perturbations. It uses living cells in microplates together with fluorescence labelling, automated imaging, and software‑driven image analysis to extract many features per cell (such as morphology, marker intensity, and localization), enabling phenotypic screening for efficacy, mechanism of action, and toxicity in drug discovery.

Functional assays in disease-relevant cellular models, such as neurite outgrowth and neuronal firing in neurological and neurodegenerative disease models.

Cloning and generation of stable or transient modified cell lines involves molecular cloning of a construct of interest into an expression vector, followed by its introduction into cells to obtain either stable or transient genetically modified cell populations.

For stable modified cell lines, the exogenous DNA is integrated into the host genome, and clones are selected to ensure heritable and consistent expression of the desired trait (e.g., gene overexpression, reporter, knockdown) across many passages.

For transiently modified cell lines, the introduced DNA (or RNA) does not integrate into the genome, leading to short‑term expression that is detectable for a limited time window but not maintained in daughter cells.

Involves the complete workflow by which a gene of interest is expressed in a suitable host system and the resulting recombinant protein is isolated at the required level of purity using biochemical separation methods.

The process includes cloning the gene into an expression vector and introducing it into an appropriate host (e.g., bacteria, yeast, insect, or mammalian cells) for protein expression. The target protein is then recovered from cell lysates or culture supernatants and purified using methods such as affinity, ion‑exchange, or size‑exclusion chromatography, often performed in multiple steps to achieve high purity.

Evaluation of major isoenzymes (1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 3A4) to predict drug-drug interactions.

• Microsomal and hepatocyte-based assays
• Phase II metabolism (e.g., glucuronidation)

Assessment of compound degradation in plasma over time.

Evaluation under various physicochemical conditions.

Determination of free vs. bound fraction of drug.

• Caco-2 assay: to model intestinal absorption.
• P-gp substrate/inhibitor profiling: to evaluate efflux liability.

• Aqueous solubility
• pH-dependent solubility
• Biorelevant media (FaSSIF, FeSSIF)

Viability assays across diverse cell types to assess general toxicity.

Receptor transactivation assays for:

• Estrogen (ER)
• Androgen (AR)
• Glucocorticoid (GR)
• Thyroid hormone receptors (TR).

In vitro assays for skin sensitization, irritation, and corrosion.

• hERG inhibition: Assessment of potential blockade of the human cardiac hERG channel.
• Genotoxicity: Micronucleus assay to detect chromosomal damage.
• Cardiotoxicity: Functional analysis using microelectrode arrays (MEA).

TSA is a biophysical technique that measures a protein’s thermal stability by monitoring its melting temperature (Tm), the point at which half the protein unfolds during heating. It allows the screening of compounds as binders of a given target without the need of any labelling.

Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) is a label‑free biophysical method that measures changes in the thermal stability of endogenous proteins in intact cells or tissues to demonstrate drug-target engagement under near-physiological conditions. In CETSA, the shift in the protein’s aggregation or melting profile indicates ligand binding and stabilization (or destabilization) of the target in its native cellular environment.

We develop and apply cutting‑edge biophysical and cellular assays to confirm that your candidate molecules bind and modulate their intended targets under physiologically relevant conditions, de‑risking downstream development.

We design cell‑based screening campaigns tailored to your biology, enabling multiparametric readouts that reveal efficacy, mechanism‑related phenotypes, and early safety signals in one integrated platform.

We combine transcriptomics, chemoproteomics, CRISPR/omics tools, and advanced data analysis to identify and validate the molecular targets and pathways underlying your phenotypic hits, turning complex cellular responses into actionable mechanisms.

We generate high‑quality, fit‑for‑purpose reagents—including engineered cell lines, recombinant proteins, and assay‑ready constructs—optimized for robustness, scalability, and seamless integration into your discovery workflows.

We provide end‑to‑end scientific and technical support, from experimental design and assay optimization to data interpretation, acting as an extension of your R&D team to accelerate and strengthen decision‑making.