What is assay development?

Assay development is a procedure employed in molecular biology to test or measure the activity of a drug in an organism. Assays are investigative procedures that qualitatively assess a compound or examine its effect on a molecular target. The development of successful assays is critical in drug discovery and development, with better assays increasing confidence in the productive and successful realization of new drugs. 

Developing functional assays requires a thorough consideration of many factors, including:

• Relevance

• Reproducibility

• Quality

• Interference

• Cost

Assay development examples

The first stage of drug development involves the identification and verification of prospective targets associated with human diseases. Some examples of these targets include:

• Receptors

• Enzymes

• DNA

• Hormones and factors

• Ion channels

There are many examples of various categories of assays, including biochemical assays and cell-based assays. Some examples from both categories include:

• ADP Hunter Assay for Kinase Activity

• Cell Proliferation Assays

• Assay for Protease Cleavage Activity

• Migrations Assays

• Reporter Gene Assays

How to develop an assay 

There are several steps of assay development:

• Step 1: Identification and validation of drug targets

• Step 2: Biological assays and compound screening assays are produced

• Step 3: Cell-based assays are used to examine a drug’s safety and efficacy 

Drug development always involves undergoing numerous assays that are tailored for the specific drug target and compound. Learn more about assay development and how Dotmatics Intelligent Assay Data Management can help.