Phenotypic Screening Services

Creative Biolabs has extensive experience to offer novel phenotypic screening services for therapeutic and diagnostic development. Based on our established cell models, we are confident in offering the optimized services for our clients all over the world.

Introduction to Phenotypic Screening

In the history of drug development, target-based screening has dominated due to the presence of a large number of compounds that can bind to or alter the activity of a single target protein. In recent years, phenotypic screening has recently made a comeback as a novel strategy to identify substances that can alter the phenotype of an organism or a cell in a desired manner. In particular, phenotypic screening of neural cells provides a simple approach to obtaining targets or compounds that modulate the key phenotypes of neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration. Studies have shown that pathological mechanisms of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD), autism, bipolar disease, and schizophrenia, have been deeply explored by using phenotypic screening. The in vitro phenotypic screening method allows to monitor a single parameter, while the high-content screening can simultaneously monitor changes in the expression of multiple proteins. Moreover, animal-based approaches for phenotypic screening have been widely used to evaluate approved drugs and drug positioning.

Phenotypic Screening for Neuropharmaceutical Discovery

Compared with target-based screening, phenotypic screening can identify hits that are associated with a disease state or a special biological process. In addition, compounds with undesirable features or effects can be avoided. However, this method relies heavily on cellular models with robust and consistent phenotypes. In general, it is difficult to obtain primary, affected cells from patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The emergence of induced pluripotent stem cells provides a source of neurological disease-specific cells. And quantifiable phenotypic alterations usually include neurite length, neuronal survival, the expression of the fluorescently-tagged protein, etc. Considering the importance of phenotypic screening to neuroscience research, Creative Biolabs has established a variety of in vitro neurological disease models for phenotypic screening.

Fig.1 Example of phenotypic tracing during screening. (Cooper, 2017)

Features of Phenotypic Screening Services

• Potential side effects can be elucidated
• Assess potential reuse opportunities for your compounds
• Multiple parameters can be tested simultaneously to increase the reliability of the results
• Fully customizable experimental design to expand beyond standard procedure
• Affordable price with high quality

Creative Biolabs has been a long-term expert in the field of drug discovery. We are pleased to use our extensive experience and advanced platform to offer high-quality service and the most qualified products to satisfy each demand from our customers. If you are interested in our services and products, please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.

Reference

1. Cooper, D.J.; et al. Phenotypic screening with primary neurons to identify drug targets for regeneration and degeneration. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. 2017, 80: 161-169.