Selective targeting of immune-specific glucocorticoid-sensitive genes

National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences

Investigators

Abstract

The NCATS Early Translation Branch (ETB) hosts a broad and comprehensive program for the discovery of drug candidates directed towards rare diseases and pharmacological tools to probe the function of the human genome. ETB conducts research to understand the underlying principles driving the translation of basic research discoveries into tangible improvements in human health. During this reporting period, the project team has explored a new avenue for high-throughput screening to measure TNFa production, utilizing a luminescent reporter engineered into the endogenous TNFa locus in an immortalized cell line. This shift in strategy was necessitated by challenges faced with primary monocytes and other reporter lines. Several assay formats and protocols are being tested for reproducibility and performance, utilizing glucocorticoids as control compounds.