The Quality of Drug Screening in Two
Folds: Recover Precipitated Compounds and Expedite Assay Mixing
Jean Shieh, Director of Marketing, Microsonic Systems
In this presentation, we will look at how ultrasonic fluid
processing improves the quality of drug screening. Compound libraries
often experience environmental shocks introduced by DMSO hydration or
repeat freeze/thaw cycles, which can cause compounds to crash out of
solution and consequently affect the accuracy of screening results.
Fragment libraries, typically in 100 to 200 mM, are likely to
precipitate under the same environmental effects. Thus, the quality of
the libraries screened is in doubt. On the other hand, assay
miniaturization has raised concerns about the effectiveness of various
techniques used to mix assay components, as partially-mixed assay
components can contribute to sample analysis errors. To address these
issues, we will discuss using ultrasonic fluid processing to recover
precipitated compounds and improve assay mixing.
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| "Microsonic Systems Inc. has developed an
acoustics-based micro-fluidics instrument based on a novel,
patented technology that will significantly improve the
accuracy and efficiency of drug identification. The
Company’s target markets are the pharmaceutical and
laboratory automation industries, although the Company believes
there are several other potential markets.
Our lateral ultrasonic thrust
(LUT)™ technology, using a micro-electro-mechanical
systems (MEMS) based transducer, creates bulk acoustic waves
which are capable of mixing and solubilizing bio-chemical
reagents more rapidly and more homogenously than existing
technologies. Improving the speed and reliability of mixing
both increases the likelihood of the positive identification of
new drugs, and decreases the likelihood of investing time and
effort in unfruitful clinical trials. Improving the speed and
reliability of mixing can decrease the time and cost required
to bring new pharmaceuticals to market.
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