Transcreener ADP Assay Aids in Discovery of RIPK2 Inhibitors for Autoinflammation

When the body responds to a bacterial pathogen, fragments of bacterial peptidoglycan alert a human host to the presence of a microbial invader. A receptor named NOD2 recognizes the peptidoglycans and sounds the alarm, initiating immune responses by causing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines via NF-κB and MAP kinase pathways 1. In this manner, NOD2
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A Novel Approach Discovers Hundreds of Cancer-Relevant Arginine Methylation Sites for CARM1

Protein arginine methylation is an important post-translational modification, but its impact remains rather mysterious. Approximately 7% of all arginine residues in the human proteome are modified by mono- or di-methylation (which is a similar order of magnitude to the 9% of serine residues that are phosphorylated and the 7% of lysine residues that are ubiquitinated).¹
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Doubling the Odds: Two-Pronged Strategy to Halt Cancer Cell Proliferation

It would be difficult to underestimate the importance of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) for cancer, given its influence on cell division. As one of five members of the Polo-like family of serine/threonine protein kinases in eukaryotic cells, Plk1 plays a multifaceted role in the cell cycle and thus controls cancer progression fueled by unchecked cell
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Newly Patented Aurora A Kinase Inhibitor a Promising Contender for Cancer Treatment

Aurora A Kinase in Cancer Drug Development Aurora A Kinase, along with -B and -C, are members of a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that play critical roles in coordinating mitosis, including establishment of the mitotic spindle, centrosome duplication, centrosome separation as well as maturation, chromosomal alignment, spindle assembly checkpoint, and cytokinesis. The enzyme’s role
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Using the Transcreener® GDP Assay to Discern the Truth about Dynamin Inhibitors

Imagine viewing the plasma membrane of a cell from an interior perspective, with a front-row seat to the process by which substances enter the cell. Over in one corner, the plasma membrane begins to bulge inward, forming a sphere stretching toward you with a droplet-shaped neck on the opposite side that remains connected to the
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New Posters from DOT 2017

Poster Presentations A Homogenous, High Throughput Assay to Measure Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Activity Using Transcreener® GDP Assay Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) positively regulate Rho GTPases by accelerating GDP dissociation to allow formation of the active, GTP-bound complex. Development of inhibitors that specifically disrupt GEF action on a target Rho GTPase may be a
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Taking Up Residence: Using the Transcreener ADP Assay to Measure the Kinetics of Kinase Inhibitor Interactions

Classically speaking, assays for interactions between drug molecules and their targets have measured binding affinity under equilibrium conditions. In drug discovery projects, it had long been assumed that carefully measuring IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration), EC50 (effector concentration for half-maximal response), Kd  (equilibrium dissociation constant), and/or Ki (inhibition constant) would allow drug candidates to be prioritized
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Previously Recorded Webinar – The New AptaFluor™ SAH Methyltransferase Assay: A Homogenous, Universal Assay Based on a Microbial Riboswitch

Epigenetic regulation has been shown to be a contributing factor in a variety of diseases, and discovery of methyltransferase inhibitors is an area of intense activity. Methyltransferase enzymes methylate a variety of substrates using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as the methyl donor leaving S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) as a common product. Since the difference between SAH and SAM is
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EZH2 Methyltransferase Inhibitors Hold Promise for Combating Neuropathic Pain

When people experience neuropathic pain, they often describe “pins and needles” sensations or burning, shooting, or stabbing pain that can be agonizing and difficult to bear. In some cases, neuropathic pain is so intense that the pressure of clothing or the weight of a bed sheet can cause misery. Chronic neuropathic pain can be caused
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BellBrook Labs Awarded NIH Grant to Develop a High Throughput cGAS Assay for Cancer and Autoimmune Disease Drug Discovery

BellBrook Labs was recently awarded a $288,000 SBIR Phase I grant from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to develop an HTS assay for cyclic GAMP synthase, an enzyme that triggers immune responses to viruses and tumors. The new assay will be used in an effort to screen for cGAS enzyme modulators as
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