Patent ID: 6514709
Filing Date: 2003-02-04
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method for determining whether a candidate compound is an agonist or an inhibitor of a protein using cells that contain a calcium sensitive reporter comprising the steps of:(a) providing cells that express the protein and contain a calcium sensitive reporter; (b) exposing the cells to an intracellular chelator of calcium; (c) exposing a first portion of the cells to a compound; (d) measuring the signal generated in the first portion; (e) measuring the signal generated in a second portion of the cells that was not exposed to the compound, and (f) comparing the amount of signal in the first and second portions of the cells where an increase in the amount of signal in the presence of the compound indicates that the compound is an agonist of the protein and a decrease in the amount of signal in the presence of the compound indicates that the compounds is a inhibitor of the protein, wherein the signal generated by the calcium sensitive reporter is delayed by the presence of the intracellular chelator of calcium.