High-throughput screening for drug discovery: trends in assay development documented by new report

A new report published by HighTech Business Decisions, High-Throughput Screening: Trends in Assay Development, provides a comprehensive look at pharmaceutical and biotechnology high-throughput screening (HTS) operations and assay development, the market, and the suppliers. HTS refers to the integration of technologies to rapidly assay thousands of compounds in search of biological activity for drug discovery. It is one of several tools pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have to find leads for drug candidates.

The success of HTS as a strategy for drug discovery is well documented in the statements from HTS directors in this study. Most of these directors have found leads for drug candidates from their HTS operations and report that management has demonstrated a commitment to HTS. The participants in this study believe HIS is a cornerstone of an effective drug discovery strategy, and they are working internally and with suppliers to make improvements and generate innovations.

HTS assays are designed around specific disease targets. Successful assay design, development, and validation are essential for the success of the HTS operation. The assay design affects the extent to which automation can be used, the cost of the screen, the sensitivity, and the ability to find hits. Improvements and innovations in assay development include the development of technologies that allow for multiple assays to be done simultaneously (multiplexing), that reduce the number of steps involved, that increase sensitivity, or that have increased biological relevance. Some HTS and assay development directors work with as many as 15 different types of assays.

Sandra Fox, president at HighTech Business Decisions, says, "HTS and assay development directors are under a lot of pressure to develop assays as quickly as possible for screening ensuring that the assay is optimized for HIS, is cost effective, has readily available reagents, and produces high-quality leads. Most directors in the study say they can find a way to build an assay around any important disease target."

The new report includes an analysis of the fast-moving HIS market and its technologies including market size and growth, HTS workflow and organization, throughput, automation, assay types and development procedures, targets, detection modes, microplates and microchips, outsourcing, budgets, and supplier information. Summaries of interviews conducted by Ph.D. level analysts with 58 pharmaceutical and biotechnology HTS and assay development directors worldwide and profiles from 44 supplier companies are included in the 700-page report.