Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCRs, Ion Channels, and Transporters
Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCRs, Ion Channels, and Transporters
Principal Investigator: Dave Weaver
The goal of the Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCRs, Ion Channels, and Transporters is to enable eligible investigators to discover and develop a new generation of small molecule probes to promote our understanding of physiological and disease processes, with a particular emphasis on the structure and function of GPCRs, ion channels, and transporters. Measurements for biochemical, cellular and cell-free assays are made using a wide variety of commercially-available and novel technologies. The suite of detection modalities includes two Hamamatsu FDSS kinetic imaging plate readers. These instruments are capable of collecting data from all wells of 96 and 384 well plates simultaneously and during integrated reagent addition at up to ten frames per second over wavelengths from UV to far red with dual excitation, emission and fluorescence polarization modes. The FDSS also supports ultra low-light detection for aequorin and other kinetic/flash luminescence formats. Additionally, the Vanderbilt Center supports HCS through the use of the BlueShift Isocyte, a laser scanning fluorimeter that generates two-dimensional anisotropy data. This combination of capabilities paired with robust automation provides tremendous flexibility for measuring the action of a test compound on a wide range of targets. The investment in infrastructure, the combination of basic and industrial research expertise, the dedication to translational and chemical biology, and the establishment and maintenance of a highly-collaborative environment make the Vanderbilt Center well suited to support the MLSCN.
Vanderbilt Capabilities and Technologies
| Assay Formats | Screening Capabilities | Biologicial Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom-read SPA | Kinetic Assays | GPCRs, ion channels, and transporters |
| Colorimetric | Cell-Based Assays | Novel GPCR modulators |
| Absorbance | Target-Based Assays | Potassium channel modulators |
| Fluorescence (intensity, FP, TRF, FRET) | High-throughput Cellular Imaging | Neuroscience |
| Luminescence (intensity, BRET, Aqueorin) | Fluorescence-based Ion Flux | Protein-Protein Interactions |
| Fluorescence-based Transmembrane Voltage | Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions | |
| Proliferation/Cytotoxicity | Enzyme Assays (protease, kinase, phosphatase) | |
| ELISAs |
For inquiries about assay development at The Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCR’s Ion Channels, and Transporters, please contact the center representative listed in conjunction with visiting the Center’s Web site.
- Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCRs, Ion Channels, and Transporters
- Please contact: Michelle Lewis, Ph.D.
See also: Enabling PI-Center Collaboration Document
For further information about the Vanderbilt Screening Center for GPCRs, Ion Channels, and Transporters, see below:
