Selecting the right analytical technology for drug discovery workflows is critical for balancing speed and accuracy.
Traditional high-throughput screening approaches can introduce challenges around method development, consumable costs, and confidence in results. Organizations need tools that deliver reliable data without compromising throughput.
This infographic explores key analytical technologies used in high-throughput drug discovery, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and performance considerations to help inform technology selection strategies.
Download this infographic to discover:
- Which analytical approach is best suited to your needs
- Strengths and limitations of AEMS, SPE-MS, and plate reader technologies
- Key differences in cost, throughput, data quality, consumable requirements, and method development time
Analytical solution for
high-throughput drug
discovery assays
Learn more
Selecting the right analytical technology
to support drug discovery is a key decision
This infographic compares different
analytical technology in this space
AEMS at a glance
Obtain high quality
data at speed
Fast sample
preparation time
1 sec
Up to 1 sample per
Data quality you can rely on
(Low false positive/negative rate)
Data acquisition time
(30 min 1536 well plate)
2.5 nL
Fast method
development time
Low consumable
requirements
Sample volume used
2.5 nL 5 - 50 μL 25 - 50 μL
Acoustic ejection mass
spectrometry
Instrument purchase price
Instrument size
Sample preparation time
Sample volume
Consumable requirements
and cost
AEMS
Solid phase extraction
– mass spectrometry
SPE – MS Plate Reader
Don’t compromise
Method development time
False positive/negative rate
21- 38 sec per plate
(6 to 1536 wells per plate)
10 mins (384 well plate) Approx. 8 sec per sample with SPE
30 min (1536 well plate)
Data acquisition time
High
Low
Medium
Desirability score:
Plate readers are well established for high throughput screening
assays because they are cost-effective and have a favorable
throughput for common assays. However, they require significant
skill and method development time to select the optimum
labelling-reagent, and the reagents themselves can be expensive.
AEMS is more expensive to purchase but benefits from the
specificity of mass spectrometric detection and the ability to
measure a more diverse range of compounds. Being a label-free
technique reduces the method development time and confidence
in the accuracy of the results.