Cell Based Assays & Molecular Pharmacology
Ichor Life Sciences offers a broad range of standard and specialized cell based assays and molecular assays to fit any of your in-vitro experiment needs.
Use our specialized screening cascades and cell based assays to quickly translate your product from in-vitro to in-vivo.
Cytotoxicity Assays
Optimized protocols for assessing cytotoxicity of molecules in-vitro. Capable of probing for a variety of cell death & viability markers, in hundreds of in-house cell lines.
High Throughput Cell Screening
Two state-of-the-art quantitative high-content imaging cytometers (IncuCyte S3 ® and Operetta CLS ® confocal system). Capable of performing standard, specialized, and custom cell assays.
3-Dimensional Cell Culture
Proprietary methods for optimized generation & therapeutic screening on spheroids in a variety of cell types.
Stable Cell Line Generation
Generation of stable cell lines through chemotherapy resistance, viral transduction, and other methods.
Cell Migration Assays
Real-time automated imaging of kinetic cell migration, invasion assays, and other cell motility read-outs.
Technical Capabilities
Standard and high-throughput confocal microscopy with quantitative read-outs and corresponding high-resolution images.Instruments have capabilities for brightfield and multicolor immunofluorescence imaging to handle your experimental needs. Data is processed by a team of experts capable of creating novel masking analysis to probe for unique and novel targets.
Ichor’s team has extensive experience optimizing protocols for spheroid generation. The dimensions of the spheroids are robustly characterized with our high-content imaging cytometers, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency. The meticulously characterized spheroids allow for a high degree of experimental reliability in our in-vitro and in-vivo assays.
- Immunoprecipitation (single targets and protein complexes)
- Western Blotting
- ELISA
- rt-qPCR
- Enzyme Kinetic Assays
- Organelle labeling and subcellular localization
- Cellular uptake and half-life of biologics
- High-throughput cell migration assays
- Custom high-throughput cytotoxicity screening
- Target validation studies
- Assay design and optimization
- Senescence induction in dozens of cell lines
- Foam cell lipid accumulation (Macrophage atherosclerosis model)
- Hematopoietic cell differentiation and colony forming unit assay
Ichor offers a variety of standard cell assays. Our assays can be assessed colorimetrically, fluorescently, or via luminescence to accommodate a wide variety of cell and reagent types.
- Apoptosis Assays (Caspase 3/7 and others)
- Proliferation Assays (automated cell counter, Ki-67. EdU)
- Viability Assays (MTT, trypan blue, and others)
- Phenotypic Analysis (Confluency, eccentricity, fragmentation, etc.)
Have Confidence In Your Data
When confirming molecular mechanisms, it’s important to verify the findings through multiple techniques. The above data set represents a standard package we provide customers. In this example we are assessing the nuclear localization of an oncology target, as a function of drug concentration.
Through western blot densitometry, quantitative imaging cytometry, and confocal microscopy, we show three identical trends between the three different techniques. Our goal is to help you achieve compelling data sets that move the needle forward on your research.
Spheroid Examples
Glioblastoma Spheroid Screening
Examine your molecule in one of our established in-vitro 3D tumor models. Our high-throughput imaging cytometers can screen hundreds of conditions simultaneously in comparison to current standards of care.
We can generate spheroids of precise dimensions, and have our surgical team implant them into our catalog of in-vivo models.
Optimized Cellular Targeting of Biologics
Our high throughput cell penetrating peptide (CPP) screens are designed to optimize cellular selectivity and organelle tropism based on target cell membrane physicochemistry and intracellular trafficking machinery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions we often get from customers
Ichor has a wide variety of standard and specialized cell assay services. However, our specialty is generating custom assays and approaching scientific problems with “out-of-the-box” thinking. Customers frequently approach us because they could not find service providers willing to customize assay parameters.
All raw data and images will be shared through your preferred electronic medium. We will also send presentations containing annotated data and experimental procedures.
Experimental timelines can vary depending on the design. We can typically turn around data packages in 2-3 weeks from the time of receiving reagents.
If you are unsure which cell based assay to choose, one of our experts will be happy to discuss logical and cost effective options to best answer your scientific questions.
