A cellular assay often provide a wealth of information and are valuable tools in drug discovery to understand complex interplay of networks and pathways. It is crucial to create an effective and tailored in vitro cell-based assay platform to best mimic disease states for improved translational success. Cellular assays can be functional or phenotypic and for evaluation of potential drug modulators. It has been extensively explored for target engagement studies such as nanoBRET and in dissecting intracellular signalling pathways for membrane-bound targets such as GPCRs and ion-channels. We have developed multiple cellular models to study target stability, subcellular localization and protein trafficking, transcriptional readouts, pathway activation, cell cycle analysis, cell proliferation and differentiation, MOA and other disease specific model systems precisely adapted to the specific target of interest.

There are a range of various types of cellular assays that we can offer, however not limited to the list below –

• Proliferation Assays: Measure cell growth and division rates, often used in cancer research
• Cytotoxicity Assays: Assess the toxicity of compounds on cell viability
• Apoptosis Assays: Evaluate programmed cell death and identify factors that induce or inhibit apoptosis
• Viability Assays: Determine the number of viable cells to assess their overall health
• Migration and Invasion Assays: Study cell movement, tissue invasion and metastasis in cancer research
• Reporter Gene Assays: Measure gene expression by monitoring the activity of reporter genes (e.g., luciferase) in response to specific stimuli
• Cell-Adhesion/Cell-Matrix interaction Assays: Examine the ability of cells to adhere to substrates or extracellular matrix critical in cancer metastasis and immunology and for tissue repair
• Cell Cycle Analysis: Profile mitotic pathways with whole-cell propidium iodide (PI) staining and antibodies directed towards specific proteins or surface markers to concurrently analyse cellular characteristics within distinct cell populations G0/G1, S, and G2/M. To quantitatively determine phase distribution along with characteristics like ploidy, apoptosis, senescence, cell type etc.
• Population analysis and immune cell killing: Phenotyping whole blood-derived PBMCs and quantify expression of surface receptors and intracellular proteins. Develop Co-culture systems (e.g., PBMCs, T cells, NK cells) for their cytotoxic potential against cancer cell lines and to quantify percentage of cell death or necroptosis
• Metabolic Assays: Evaluate cellular metabolism and metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation
• Cell Differentiation Assays: Measure the differentiation of stem cells into specialized cell types in regenerative medicine and developmental biology
• High-Content Imaging and Microscopy: High resolution, quantitative, real-time analysis and characterization of lead molecules in protein trafficking, sub-cellular localization, receptor internalization and endocytosis; mitotic progression and cytokinesis; evaluating DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathways and recruitment to sites of repair
• Cell Signalling: Investigate intracellular pathways by monitoring the activation of specific signalling proteins such as GPCRs based on agonist or antagonist stimulation. Ligand binding triggers a signalling cascade that can lead to various changes in cellular responses such as cAMP, inositol phosphate, calcium mobilization and/or beta-arrestin recruitment. Measuring modulators of Ion channels utilizing ion-sensitive or voltage sensitive fluorescent dyes or changes in membrane potential
• Other classical assays include immuno-precipitation and western blotting to study protein-protein interactions and in understanding post translation modifications e.g. phosphorylation, ubiquitination.  At o2h discovery, we also perform synthetic lethality and drug sensitivity screens for anti- cancer therapeutics.

To know more about our biology services offering or to request our brochure, please reach out to us at discovery@o2h.com.