Patent ID: 6897031

Claim:
A method of screening for a bioactive agent which modulates exocytosis in a cell, said method comprising: a) combining a candidate bioactive agent and a population of cells; b) subjecting said cells to conditions that induce exocytosis in cells of the same type in the absence of said bioactive agent; and c) assaying each individual cell to measure at least three properties of said cells, said properties selected from the group consisting of: light scattering, fluorescent dye uptake, fluorescent dye release, granule exposure, annexin granule binding, surface granule enzyme activity, and the quantity of granule specific proteins, wherein said step of assaying is performed using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) by measuring said at least three properties simultaneously or sequentially, and wherein alteration in the at least three assayed properties as compared to cells that were not exposed to the candidate bioactive agent indicates that said agent modulates exocytosis.