Monitor Toxicity, Anti-Cancer Drug Efficacy and Cytokine Response with New Bioluminescent Cytotoxicity Technology

Promega Corporation has announced the launch of the CytoTox-Glo™ Cytotoxicity Assay at the 5th annual Screening Europe conference and exhibition. Whether monitoring chemical toxicity, anti-cancer drug efficacy or cytokine response, the CytoTox-Glo Assay is designed to provide a sensitive, simple, luminescent method that allows the user to detect small changes in cell viability.

The assay measures a distinct “dead-cell” protease biomarker released from cells that have lost membrane integrity, a key indicator of cytotoxicity. The assay uses a peptide substrate, that after cleavage by the “dead-cell” protease, releases luciferin. This is a substrate for a proprietary thermostable luciferase (Ultra-Glo™ Recombinant Luciferase).

The luciferase/luciferin reaction produces light in the form of a stable “glow-type” luminescent signal. The intensity of the signal correlates with dead-cell number.

The CytoTox-Glo Assay has a large dynamic range with linearity, providing unprecedented sensitivity in 96-well plates or high-density formats. The high sensitivity and scalability minimizes both the number of cells required and the amount of compound used. Features of this assay are detailed in a talk by Promega.