High-resolution dose-response screening using droplet-based microfluidics

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jan 10;109(2):378-83. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1113324109. Epub 2011 Dec 27.

Abstract

A critical early step in drug discovery is the screening of a chemical library. Typically, promising compounds are identified in a primary screen and then more fully characterized in a dose-response analysis with 7-10 data points per compound. Here, we describe a robust microfluidic approach that increases the number of data points to approximately 10,000 per compound. The system exploits Taylor-Aris dispersion to create concentration gradients, which are then segmented into picoliter microreactors by droplet-based microfluidics. The large number of data points results in IC(50) values that are highly precise (± 2.40% at 95% confidence) and highly reproducible (CV = 2.45%, n = 16). In addition, the high resolution of the data reveals complex dose-response relationships unambiguously. We used this system to screen a chemical library of 704 compounds against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, a diabetes, obesity, and cancer target. We identified a number of novel inhibitors, the most potent being sodium cefsulodine, which has an IC(50) of 27 ± 0.83 μM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cefsulodin / pharmacology
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug*
  • Drug Discovery / methods*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods*
  • Fluorescence
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Microfluidics / methods*
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Sample Size
  • Small Molecule Libraries*
  • beta-Galactosidase / antagonists & inhibitors

Substances

  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1
  • beta-Galactosidase
  • Cefsulodin