Editorial Article: Drug Discovery & Development News this Month

Read about what has been happening in the Drug Discovery & Development community this month. Hear from our Guest Editor Peter Simpson, from AstraZeneca, about screening technologies for discovering lead compounds, apoptosis assays, toxicity analysis using mass spectrometry, embryoid bodies and ADME-Toxicology Methods:

Approaches to Finding Good Hit Compounds 'The Old and the New' - Part One
In this first part of this article, Peter Simpson summarizes the limits of high throughput screening for lead identification and the possible solutions to these failures.
 
Multiplexed Viability, Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis Assays for Cell-Based Screening
This article demonstrates the use of the CyBio CyBi® Well 384/1536 automated dispenser, with Promega MultiTox-Fluor Multiplex Cytotoxicity Assay technology, as a novel means for determining the relative number of live and dead cells in culture. The assay technology is shown to be sufficiently scalable, sensitive and robust to be multiplexed with other downstream assays to increase the quality of screening data.

Reducing Cycle Time for Quantification of Human IgG Using the Agilent Bio-Monolith Protein A HPLC Column
This application note describes the quantification of human IgG with the Agilent Bio-Monolith Protein A HPLC Column, using the Agilent 1260 Infinity Bio-inert Quaternary LC.
 
High-Throughput Analysis of Cytochrome P450 Inhibition in Intact Human Hepatocytes
Ultrafast methods of analysis were developed using the Agilent RapidFire High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry System, in combination with an Agilent 6490 Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, for cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition in human hepatocytes.
 
7 Ways to Improve Your ADME-Toxicology Methods
The pharmaceutical industry is always trying to find new ways to more efficiently get their small molecule products and biopharmaceuticals to market. To achieve this they must test their products for impurities and analytical compliance through stringent regulatory requirements. This article details seven different ways in which technology has been used in an ADME-toxicology laboratory.

Rapid Production and Size Assessment of Embryoid Bodies
In this application note, InSphero's GravityPLUS™ hanging drop platform provides a simple, automation-compatible solution to the production of consistently sized assay-ready embryoid bodies (EB).