Bioassay development

Scope: Combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput synthesis of novel materials warrant a paradigm shift in current methods to analyse biological responses. This chapter will provide an overview on bioassay development and how novel assays amenable to high-throughput screening platforms can be adapted to more complex systems. Special emphasis will be devoted to the development of assays that can be used in platforms that closely mimic the in vivo complexity of tissues and organs. In that respect, assays that can cope with co-culture systems as well as 3D environments will be discussed. Moreover, modifications or development of new assays and techniques will be described as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Basic principles of assay development: The ability to measure the speed of light changed the field of physics and the world. Chemical reactions led to the Big Bang and the creation of the Universe, but the ability to measure and control those reactions changed the face of the Earth. We can surely say that the need to see more, and in more detail, led to the development of technologies that made that possible and ultimately contributed to the advance of science and society.