In Vitro Assays

Southern Research CNS/Neuropharmacology services provide a comprehensive, integrated series of in vitro assays and analyses to produce in vitro efficacy data for any given compound. In addition, utilizing high-throughput screening (HTS, analyses can be designed to discover compounds effective for a specific target using external or comprehensive internal small and large molecule libraries.

Cell Availability

• Cell lines
• All brain cell lines commercially available and custom-made
• Primary brain cells
• Primary neurons from cortex, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and other brain regions
• Astrocytes from cortex, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and other brain regions

Image-based Services

• Visualization of any probe in living and fixed cells
• Calcium monitoring in all cells, including primary neurons and other primary cells
• Membrane potential monitoring in all cells, including primary neurons and other primary cells
• Software-based neurite outgrowth recognition assay in all cell types, including primary neurons
• Apoptosis TUNEL and Nexin-7
• Apoptosis with living cells probes
• Relocation assays
• Image-based cell viability assay
• Antigen localization
• Custom-developed assays

Neurotoxicity and Neuroprotection Assays

• AMPA/Kainate toxicity
• Glutamate toxicity
• β-amyloid toxicity
• Chemical hypoxia models
• Traumatic brain injury and other mechanical injury models (including cutting and flexcell models)
• Reactive oxygen species toxicity
• Other toxicity models upon request

Glial Proliferation

• Gliotoxicity assay panel (high and low throughput)
• Glial invasion assay
• Glial marker expression
• Blood brain barrier cellular models

Customized Assays

• Western blots
• Immunoprecipitation
• PCR
• siRNA silencing
• NF-kB expression induction assay (low and high throughput)
• GRP78 expression induction assay (low and high throughput)
• Other