Image-based screening of signal transduction assays.

Imaging techniques have played a vital role in signal transduction research over several decades. Recently, industrialized macro- and micro-imaging systems have found application in drug discovery laboratories, where they increase the throughput and efficiency of drug screening. Macro-imagers are used for primary screening, where they favor compound conservation (through assay miniaturization), and achieve unprecedented rates of throughput. Micro-imaging systems achieve relatively high throughput, at the same time providing sub-cellular resolution with fixed or living cells. These micro-imaging analyses were previously conducted at very low throughput and, typically, were the sole domain of the academic researcher. Although both macro and micro forms of image-based screening remain technologies in development, they have already made substantial contributions to screening programs and will continue to do so.