Abstract

High Content Screening for Target and Pathway Analysis in Cell Based Assays

Eugenio Fava, Head of Scientific Facilities and Services & Group Leader System Neuroscience, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V.

High content imaging and analysis has revolutionized the way in which scientists look at microscopy images. In particular, digital imaging has enabled scientists to obtain quantitative data from images and therefore passing from a subjective to a data driven interpretation of the microscopy images. The combination of digital imaging with microscopy and laboratory automation led to the ability for cell biologist to generate large experimental data set obtained from cell-based assays. This approach has now been used in several paradigms ranging from early drug discovery to loss/gain of function experiments/screens. The ability to produce large-scale experiments led to the generation of large data set obtained by high content imaging/analysis. Here we discuss how to use a computational approach to use the quantitative data obtained by high content screening (HCS) in order to gain information on target and pathway analysis of the hits generated in HCS.