Cell Painting Assay Services

Cells are ‘painted’ with 6 fluorescent dyes to visualize morphological structures in cells. At Pharmaron, cell painting is part of our high-content screening platform armed with the Operetta High Content Imaging system. The cell painting assay can be performed with single compounds or with compound libraries. For high-throughput screening we utilize our fully-automated high-throughput screening suite to create data with utmost consistency. 

Pharmaron’s bioinformatics team manages and analyzes the large amount of data created by cell painting assays. Our team employs advanced machine-learning algorithms to decode intricate morphological patterns and signatures, transforming large datasets into actionable insights.

Research Areas Supported by Cell Painting at Pharmaron

• Phenotypic Profiling: The automated high-throughput setup allows for the screening of hundreds or thousands of compounds. The visualization of phenotypic changes via cell painting facilitates the identification of test articles with desirable therapeutic effects.
• Target identification and Deconvolution: High-content imaging of the cell morphology captures comprehensive phenotypic changes in the treated cells. Based on this data, our bioinformaticians could identify pathways modulated by the test articles.
• Mechanism of Action Elucidation: Phenotypic effects induced by multiple inhibitors with the same target can be differentiated.
• Determination of Drug Resistance Mechanism: Cell painting helps to compare the phenotypic profiles of resistant and sensitive cells. This method reveals specific cellular changes and pathways contributing to resistance guiding the development of second-generation drugs or combination therapies.