Case Study

GSK:
Rapid development of better, cheaper cell-based assays

How GSK improved the quality of their calcium FLIPR assay using Synthace DOE, whilst reducing both costs and reagent usage.

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At a glance

85% reduction in experiments
20-fold cost saving
3-fold signal improvement

CHALLENGES

Reduce costs, whilst optimizing assay performance

The team at GSK faced several obstacles in optimizing their FLIPR calcium flux assays.

The traditional methods were proving inefficient and time-consuming, hindering the team's ability to rapidly develop and refine FLIPR assays.

They sought a new approach - combining both GSK's and Synthace's expertise to optimize the assay using DOE.

SOLUTION

DOE for assay optimization

Using Synthace DOE, GSK was able to test multiple factors simultaneously, without the need for advanced coding and statistics knowledge.

In 3 iterations, they tested 6 DOE factors, including the type and concentration of calcium indicators, incubation time, and temperature.

Synthace generated the device instructions for the SPTLabtech dragonfly® discovery, so experiments were run easily and efficiently.

Results

Saving resources, faster optimization, improved performance

Combining GSK's assay knowledge with Synthace's DOE expertise resulted in the development of a cheaper, more sensitive assay in just 3 experiments.

The team identified a calcium indicator that could be used at a 20-fold lower concentration, whilst still producing over 3-fold signal improvement compared to original conditions. Z' was improved by 12% and 17%.

The campaign proved that DOE can improve calcium flux FLIPR assays, opening the door for this approach to be used for similar applications.

"Using Synthace ... allowed insight into experimental systems and factor interactions that would not be achieved through the OFAT approach"

Kizzy Gape
Discovery Biology & Screening, GSK