Patent ID: 8257914

Claim:
An in vitro method of screening for a molecule able to compete with botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) for selective binding to cells susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, the method comprising the steps of: a) contacting a sample containing a molecule and a BoNT/A with a cell composition comprising an exogenous Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 (FGFR3); and b) detecting whether said molecule is able to compete with BoNT/A for the selective binding to said FGFR3 wherein selective binding of said molecule to said FGFR3 indicates that said molecule is able to compete with BoNT/A for selective binding to cells susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, and wherein if said molecule is BoNT/A, said method does not comprise an LD50 assay, wherein said composition is a cell composition, and wherein said cell composition contains an exogenous FGFR3, wherein said cell composition is genetically engineered to express a nucleic acid molecule encoding said FGFR3.