AlphaScreen Binding Assay Service

CD BioSciences provides expert AlphaScreen binding assay services for highly sensitive, no-wash detection of biomolecular interactions. Our AlphaScreen platform is ideal for studying weak interactions, large complexes, and high-throughput screening applications, offering exceptional sensitivity and ease of use for epigenetic and drug discovery research.

Overview of AlphaScreen

AlphaScreen is a versatile, bead-based technology that enables the detection of molecular interactions in a homogeneous, "mix-and-measure" format. The assay relies on donor and acceptor beads that, upon illumination at 680 nm, produce a cascade of events leading to light emission at 520-620 nm—but only when the beads are brought into close proximity (<200 nm) by a specific biological interaction. This proximity requirement eliminates background noise, allowing for highly sensitive detection of a wide range of interaction types, including protein-protein, protein-peptide, and protein-nucleic acid binding, even for very weak or transient complexes that are challenging to study with other techniques.

Fig.1 Schematic illustration of AlphaScreen for detection of non-native IgG. (Senga Y, et al., 2017)

Our Services

Leveraging state-of-the-art detection platforms, CD BioSciences' AlphaScreen service delivers robust, high-quality data for your most challenging interaction studies. We specialize in developing sensitive and specific assays that provide critical insights for early-stage discovery and screening campaigns.

Direct Binding Detection

Measure picomolar-level biomolecular interactions through homogeneous chemiluminescent proximity assays without wash steps.

High-Throughput Screening

Screen 100,000+ compounds daily in miniaturized formats to identify active hits against epigenetic targets.

Target Panel Profiling

Assess compound selectivity across curated panels of bromodomains, methyltransferases, and reader domains in parallel.

Cell Lysate Analysis

Quantify specific binding events in crude biological samples while preserving native protein complexes and modifications.

Samples and Applications

Supported Sample Types

1. Small molecules: Drug compounds, natural products, fragment libraries.
2. Nucleic acids: DNA, RNA, oligonucleotides.
3. Post-translational modifications: Methylated, acetylated, or phosphorylated proteins/peptides.
4. Cellular samples: Cell lysates (for endogenous protein detection), membrane preparations.
5. Biological fluids: Serum, plasma, tissue extracts.
6. Protein-based samples: Purified proteins, recombinant proteins, antibodies, protein complexes.
7. Peptides: Synthetic peptides, modified peptides, peptide libraries.

Diverse Application Scenarios

1. Protein-protein interactions: binary and ternary complex formation.
2. Protein-peptide interactions: SH2, PDZ, bromodomain, and other domain-peptide binding studies.
3. Protein-small molecule interactions: hit identification and validation.
4. Protein-DNA/RNA interactions: transcription factor and nucleic acid binding.
5. Post-translational modification recognition: reader domain binding to modified histones or proteins.
6. Antibody-antigen interactions: epitope binding and specificity determination.
7. Receptor-ligand interactions: GPCR, kinase, and other receptor families.
8. Enzyme activity assays: detection of product formation or substrate depletion.

Why Choose Us?

1. Exceptional Sensitivity & Throughput
   Our AlphaScreen technology detects weak interactions with minimal sample input, enabling high-throughput screening of thousands of compounds daily for accelerated discovery programs.
2. Homogeneous Assay Convenience
   Eliminate tedious wash steps with our bead-based homogeneous format that reduces assay time, minimizes variability, and ensures robust, reproducible results across diverse binding applications.
3. Expert Customization & Support
   Our experienced scientists provide tailored assay design, comprehensive data analysis, and dedicated project management to ensure optimal performance for your specific epigenetic research needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Our tailored AlphaScreen assays deliver the robust, high-quality data required to confidently characterize complex biomolecular interactions and accelerate your epigenetic research and drug discovery efforts. Contact us today to discuss your specific project requirements, request a detailed quote. We are committed to delivering reliable, actionable data to support your scientific objectives.

Reference

1. Senga Y, Imamura H, Miyafusa T, et al. AlphaScreen-based homogeneous assay using a pair of 25-residue artificial proteins for high-throughput analysis of non-native IgG[J]. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7(1): 12466.