SBIR-STTR Award

NemaScreens for selecting compounds active on apoptotic cell death have been developed. The screens are based on strains of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that have specific mutations known to block or activate cell death. Compounds that cause cell death are expected to be lethal to wild type but not to strains in which cell death is blocked by mutation. Compounds that prevent cell death are expected to reverse the lethality associated with mutations that cause cell death. This screen is currently being used by the industry. We propose to increase efficiency and through-put of screening by exploring the use of permeability mutants, different screening conditions and developing an automated animal delivery system. These improvements are expected to lower the cost per compound of screening and increase the sensitivity of the screen.Proposed commercial application:Defects in apoptotic cell death and inappropriate cell death are key factors in the pathophysiology of a wide variety of diseases. The proposed improvements will produce effective and efficient whole animal screens for drugs or leads that specifically activate or inhibit apoptosis.National Cancer Institute (NCI)