In the desire to make the
search for new drugs more economically viable, pharmaceutical companies are
seeking rapid, sensitive assays where all the reaction reagents are added in a
single automated step. Homogeneous assays are popular with researchers involved
in high-throughput drug screening because they save time, save reagents, and are
easy to automate. Homogeneous assays allow a simple mix and read
process, without requiring lengthy, time consuming wash steps to remove unbound
constituents.
AlphaScreen® kits are
bead-based ALPHA* technology assays, using microparticles coated with either
DNA or protein in a format suitable for use with automated reagent handling
systems. Each AlphaScreen® or AlphaLISA® assay contains two bead types, Donor
beads and Acceptor beads. Binding of molecules captured on the beads leads to an
energy transfer from one bead to the other, ultimately producing a luminescent /
fluorescent signal. This signal can be detected in a plate reader capable of
reading 96-, 384- or 1596-well plates. There are two types of beads, one used
for AlphaScreen® kits and one for AlphaLISA® kits. The AlphaLISA® bead emission (615 nm)
is narrower and brighter than the AlphaScreen® bead emission (520-620 nm).
Conveniently, amsbio's kits are suitable with either assay format.
© 2007-present, PerkinElmer, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.
ORDERING INFORMATION
These are the first in a
series of kits that broaden the range Kinase PDE and HDAC screening and
profiling products and services available, visit our enzyme activity page
for more information
*ALPHA
stands for Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay. The ALPHA
technology is exclusively offered by PerkinElmer, Inc., and is similar to TR-FRET (Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) technology.
AlphaLISA and AlphaScreen are trademarks of
PerkinElmer, Inc.