Patent ID: 7135298

Claim:
A method of identifying an agent that modulates the phosphorylation activity of a Target of Rapamycin (TOR) protein, comprising the steps of: (a) extracting and partially purifying native TOR from a host cell; (b) contacting the TOR protein and a substrate of TOR under conditions that allow TOR's phosphorylation activity on said substrate; (c) detecting phosphorylation activity; (d) adding the agent to the TOR protein and the TOR substrate; (e) detecting phosphorylation activity; (f) determining an agent's modulation of TOR's phosphorylation activity by comparing the change in said activity to TOR's phosphorylation activity in the absence of said agent; and (g) correlating the change in TOR's phosphorylation activity with the agent being one that modulates said activity; with the proviso that the Target of Rapamycin protein is not recombinant.