The industrialisation of cellular screening

Cell-based assays have become the method of choice for compound screening in drug discovery. Such assays are used in high-throughput screening to identify molecules for lead optimisation and to support subsequent chemistry programmes in developing clinical candidates.

In this article we describe the technologies and working practices that have been adopted in our laboratory and others to improve assay consistency and reduce the costs associated with cell-based screening.

The key to the success of cell-based screening is the adoption of automated methods of cell culture or the use of cryopreserved cells to reduce biological variability, and the use of simple assay protocols and automation solutions to improve assay performance. In addition, we describe the adoption of several working practices common to the manufacturing industry to reduce variability in the screening process. We describe how the adoption of these technologies and working practices within an industrial environment allows the use of cell-based assays for the identification and optimisation of new clinical candidates.