In vitro pharmacology assay development is a fundamental facet of pharmaceutical research. It involves the meticulous design and optimization of laboratory assays and selection of readouts to evaluate how compounds interact with specific biological targets, such as proteins, enzymes, or whole cell physiology.

At Welab, our primary goal is to create robust and reliable experimental tools with a strong focus on factors like assay sensitivity, specificity, precision, and reproducibility for high-quality results. Our specialized team has strong expertise in setting up many different biochemical, enzymatic, or cell-based assays, with extensive experience in assay development. We utilize different readouts based on the target or pathway being studied.

Biochemical assays include radioligand binding and enzymatic determinations on isolated enzymes. Cellular assays, signaling pathways such as intracellular calcium, cAMP, protein phosphorylation and protein-protein interactions. Cellular functions, such as apoptosis, cellular viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP or cytokines levels, are used in compound studies. For ion channels, we perform electrophysiological recordings using automated patch-clamp device (QPatch, Sophion) or assess whole electrical properties using multielectrode array systems (Maestro Pro, Axion).