Pharmacology Services
Pharmacology services
Cellomatics Biosciences provides cell-based pharmacology services to support drug discovery programmes from early screening through to functional characterisation.Â
Our work includes recombinant receptor systems, primary human cells and disease-relevant models, allowing compounds to be assessed both for activity at a defined target and for their downstream biological effects.
Our GPCR capabilities include assay development, compound screening, pathway analysis and agonist/antagonist profiling.
What is a pharmacology CRO?
A pharmacology CRO provides outsourced experimental support to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies understand how drug candidates interact with biological targets and affect cell function.
These studies can be used to determine whether a compound activates or inhibits a target, how potent it is, how strong the response is and how that response changes with concentration. This information is important during hit identification, lead selection and compound optimisation.
For GPCRs, functional pharmacology often involves measuring downstream signalling through second messengers such as cAMP or IP-One. These assays provide quantitative data that can be used to compare and rank compounds.
Pharmacology expertise at Cellomatics
Cellomatics has particular expertise in GPCR functional pharmacology.
- We can generate cell populations that stably express a GPCR of interest and confirm receptor expression using techniques such as qPCR and flow cytometry. Once expression has been established, we can develop assays around the receptor’s downstream signalling pathway.
- Our current platforms cover Gi, Gs and Gq signalling, using second-messenger readouts including cAMP and IP-One. These assays can be used to assess agonists and antagonists and generate concentration-response data, including EC50 and IC50 values.
- Where appropriate, we can also move beyond recombinant systems into primary human cells and disease-relevant models, helping to assess whether target-level activity translates into a meaningful biological response.
Expert insights
Find out more about our pharmacology services at Cellomatics by watching the video of our Senior Pharmacologist Dr Sophie Foggin below.
Our pharmacology capabilities
- Custom GPCR assay development
- Generation of stable GPCR-expressing cell populations
- Confirmation of receptor expression by qPCR and flow cytometry
- Agonist and antagonist concentration-response assays
- Gi, Gs and Gq signalling assays
- cAMP and IP-One readouts
- β-arrestin recruitment assays
- EC50 and IC50 determination
- Compound screening and hit confirmation
- Comparative compound profiling
- Primary human cell and disease-relevant follow-up assays
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We have established functional assays for receptors including CXCR2, DRD1 and 5-HT2A, covering Gi, Gs and Gq signalling respectively. We can also use β-arrestin recruitment as an additional readout where receptor desensitisation, internalisation or pathway bias is of interest.
Why choose Cellomatics as your pharmacology CRO?Â
At Cellomatics, pharmacology studies are built around the target and the question being asked rather than being limited to a fixed assay menu.
For GPCR programmes, we can support the work from receptor expression and assay set-up through to concentration-response studies and functional profiling. Where needed, this can then be extended into primary human cells or more disease-relevant models.
This gives clients the option to start with a well-controlled target-based assay and then move into more translational biology as the programme develops.
That combination of target-based pharmacology and human cell-based biology is an important part of our approach and allows us to support programmes across different stages of early drug discovery.
Pharmacology – Frequently asked questions
1. What pharmacology CRO services does Cellomatics offer?
Cellomatics offers a range of in vitro pharmacology services to support drug discovery and preclinical research. We can run target-based and functional cell assays, concentration-response studies, pathway analysis, target engagement studies and phenotypic screening.
Depending on the project, we work with established cell lines, primary human cells and more complex disease-relevant models. We also develop custom assays where an off-the-shelf approach is not suitable.
2. What are pharmacology assays used for?
Pharmacology assays are used to understand how a compound behaves in a biological system. They can help assess potency, efficacy, target engagement, pathway activation or inhibition, and mechanism of action.
These assays are commonly used to compare compounds, identify promising candidates and support decisions during drug development.
3. What pharmacology assays can you run?
We can run a wide range of pharmacology assays, including receptor signalling assays, cytokine assays, cell viability and proliferation studies, migration and chemotaxis assays, target engagement studies and protein expression analysis.
Our readouts include flow cytometry, Western blotting, ELISA, Luminex, luminescence, fluorescence and high-content imaging. We can also support pathway-specific work, including GPCR signalling assays, depending on the target and project requirements.
4. How does pharmacology support drug discovery?
Pharmacology and drug discovery go hand in hand. Pharmacology studies help show whether a drug candidate is having the intended biological effect and at what concentration.
This can help confirm target activity, compare lead compounds, understand mechanism of action and support lead selection as a programme moves through drug development.
5. Can you develop a custom assay for our target?
Yes. A large part of our work involves developing custom in vitro pharmacology assays around specific targets and mechanisms.
We can help select the right cell model, stimulation conditions, controls, treatment times and readouts, then optimise the assay so it is suitable for screening or more detailed pharmacology studies.
6. Why outsource pharmacology to a CRO?
Working with a pharmacology CRO can give you access to assay expertise, specialist technologies and additional capacity without having to build everything in-house.
It can also help move projects forward more quickly, especially when you need a custom assay, a specialist cell model or independent data to support internal decision-making.
At Cellomatics, we combine established pharmacology services with bespoke assay development, so the study can be designed around your target, compound and stage of development.
Request a consultation with Cellomatics Biosciences today
Our experienced team of in vitro laboratory scientists will work with you to understand your project and provide a bespoke project plan with a professional, flexible service and a fast turnaround time.
To request a consultation where we can discuss your exact requirements, please contact Cellomatics Biosciences.
