Molecular Devices Corporation, a leader in innovative solutions for drug discovery and life sciences research, has launched six new assay kits using its proprietary IMAP technology and two new kits in the proprietary CatchPoint format. The IMAP kits-PRAK, MSK1, Src, Fyn, Lck and PP2A Assay Kits-all incorporate enzymes from Upstate Biotechnology, a leader in signal transduction products. The CatchPoint cGMP Assay Kits are plate-based assays used to measure cGMP, an important cell signaling molecule.

Molecular Devices' IMAP technology is rapidly becoming an established assay format for kinase activity because it does not use specific antibodies. These new assay kits further extend the technology platform in HTS with the same ease of miniaturization and low cost-per-well. Molecular Devices now offers eleven specific IMAP kits as well as an IMAP Purchase Plan to provide components to companies assaying proprietary kinases.

The CatchPoint cGMP Assay Kit is the second product in a family which is preformatted in 384-well plates, the most popular format for drug discovery. For the important research market, a CatchPoint cGMP Assay Kit is also formatted in 96-well plates.

"Phosphatases and kinases are screened at all major pharmaceutical companies and each additional kit in our IMAP portfolio builds more utility onto this technology platform. Our customers have six more reasons to adopt IMAP," stated Stephen Oldfield, and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Molecular Devices. "While IMAP provides a fluorescence polarization signal, CatchPoint modulates fluorescence intensity. These diverse fluorescent readout modes leverage Molecular Devices' significant installed base of Analyst and Gemini microplate readers, providing solutions for thousands of researchers at all stages in the drug development pipeline."