Multiplexing terbium- and europium-based TR-FRET readouts to increase kinase assay capacity.

Identification and characterization of kinase inhibitor potency and selectivity is often an iterative process in which a library of compounds is first screened against a single kinase, and hits from that screen are then profiled against other kinases to determine specificity. By developing kinase assays that employ either a terbium- or a europium-based time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) readout, one can take advantage of the distinct emission properties of these labels to develop assays for 2 kinases that can be performed simultaneously in the same well. This not only increases the information content provided per assay well but can immediately provide information on compound specificity. The authors have applied this strategy to the development of multiplexed assays for 2 examples systems: EGFR and IKKbeta, as well as lipid kinase family members mTOR and PIK3C3. They demonstrate the ability of these multiplexed assays to characterize selective kinase inhibitors in a dose-response mode, with no difference in results obtained from traditional single kinase assays performed separately.