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Functional Assays/Target Validation Services
We are here to take your R&D workflow a step further with functional assays that characterize target behavior, modulation, and downstream effects in disease-relevant cell models using high-content, quantitative readouts.
Deepen Target Understanding with Functional In Vitro Assays
Our fit-for-purpose assays are tailored to scientific objectives, offering flexible design, practical rigor, and alignment with regulatory expectations to ensure meaningful, efficient data from relevant cell models.
Explore Biologically Relevant Readouts
Immune Function and Phenotypic
We assess immune cell killing and profile lineage-specific activation or exhaustion using flow cytometry panels targeting key markers in T cells, DCs, NK cells, and other immune subsets.
Functional Discovery, Quantified with Precision
We deliver high-resolution functional assay readouts, spanning target engagement, receptor internalization, and immune activity in numerous cell models, to guide R&D decisions with confidence with quantitative imaging. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a key target in oncology and proliferative disorders, is produced and structurally characterized in-house and validated using SPR and custom cell-based functional assays. Our workflows enable precise evaluation of ligand binding, receptor trafficking, and pathway modulation, providing actionable insights to accelerate therapeutic discovery and optimization.
Custom Assay Examples
Test Your Compounds in Relevant Pathways
We offer a range of established SEAP reporter assays that translate GPCR and other target receptors into quantifiable activation, enabling drug testing in biologically relevant cascades for precise functional and mechanistic insights.
Confirm Your Target with Complex Assays
We ensure assay accuracy by validating orphan GPCR expression after transfection with high-resolution immunofluorescence, providing stepwise confirmation of target presence and localization before a functional assay.
Featured Case Studies / Capabilities
Cell Cycle Characterization
Characterize your materials with our cell cycle tailored assays
As we observe a growing interest in biomaterials and medical devices, we offer a wide range of preclinical testing services to evaluate how material properties impact cell behavior and cell cycle. We commonly support biocompatibility assessment, regenerative medicine development, and device optimization with a range of molecular, imaging, and flow cytometry techniques.
For example, Ichor uses flow cytometry cell cycle analysis of HDFa cultured on three collagen matrices demonstrates material-dependent effects on proliferation. We observed differential cell cycle profiles influenced by matrix stiffness, with some substrates maintaining quiescence and others promoting robust S-phase entry.
3D Efficacy Models
3D Glioblastoma Spheroid Models for Functional Drug Testing
Our 3D spheroid models provide a powerful platform for evaluating drug efficacy in physiologically relevant conditions, capturing tumor growth, invasion, and treatment response with high fidelity. For each study, we design compound screening workflows that compare your candidate molecules against standard-of-care therapeutics, generating meaningful data on potency, cytotoxicity, and growth inhibition. By integrating real-time spheroid monitoring with quantitative imaging and growth analysis, we deliver actionable insights to guide therapeutic discovery and preclinical decision-making. Our customized approach ensures that each model and assay is tailored to your target biology, providing translationally relevant results that enhance confidence in your drug development strategy.
In vitro Atherosclerosis Model
Scavenger Receptor-Mediated Lipid Uptake
We are ready to support your disease indications with customizable assays that model key processes in metabolic disorders, including atherosclerosis and foam cell formation.
By integrating receptor-specific analysis, such as CD36 expression, with quantitative lipid uptake measurements, we can link functional uptake to the activity of individual receptors.
In the representative images, the left panel shows macrophages without oxLDL exposure, while the right panel demonstrates robust uptake of fluorescently labeled oxLDL (red) in CD36-positive cells (green). This approach allows us to evaluate the impact of receptor inhibition strategies with whole well quantitative imaging, while also providing single-cell level insights into lipid handling and therapeutic response.
Our workflow combines high-content imaging with functional quantification, enabling data that is mechanistically meaningful and directly translatable to cardiovascular research and drug discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read more to find the right assay for your discovery needs.
Yes. We frequently adapt existing assays or develop new workflows, including onboarding custom cell models or reporter systems, to provide fit-for-purpose solutions for your project.
All functional assays are supported by stepwise analytical validation, including immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and quantitative readouts, to confirm target presence, localization, and functional response.
Yes. We generate stable cell lines using lentiviral delivery for reporter or target expression and can also develop chemo-resistant lines to support specialized functional assay needs.
Absolutely. We provide comprehensive data packages and documentation to support grant submissions, preclinical studies, and translational research, ensuring your functional assays meet the rigor and traceability needed for decision-making and regulatory alignment.