Drug Discovery Services

Neuro-Zone integrates over 10 years of cutting-edge research in the field of cell and molecular biology with state of the art technologies and innovative microfluidic approaches, offering full support to cell-based advanced research in vitro.

Our scientists will help you in experimental project layout, will run the experiments and support you in data interpretation and analysis. Through the delivery of customized solutions, we support you in validation of drug candidates, in-house pharmacological treatments and drug repurposing projects.

Thanks to the development of innovative technological solutions, our scientists are able to recreate and finely modulate in vitro tissue complexity, dissect the contribution of the microenvironment in the modulation of the target cell’s response, and obtain relevant data on efficacy, toxicity, metabolism and compound-receptor binding effects in a comprehensive, cost efficient and time saving manner.

Our Cell Based Assays

functional in vitro services for drug discovery projects

Biochemistry

  • Apoptotic Assays
  • Cell Viability
  • Co-Immunoprecipitations
  • Cytotoxicity Assays
  • Enzyme and Immune Assays
  • Gp Receptor Signal Transduction
  • Growth Cone Preparations
  • SDS-PAGE
  • Proliferation Assays
  • Synaptosome Preparations

Morphological Studies

  • Growth Cone Formation
  • Neurite Branching
  • Spine Number
  • Synapse Number

Functional Studies

  • Quantitative functional characterization of intracellular calcium/sodium dynamics, particularly related to neuronal-glial interaction in health and disease.
    From electrophysiological recordings, to calcium imaging, to microfluidic–based dissection of cell-to-cell signaling, we hold the necessary know how to bring you a state-of-the-art facility for high content, multiparametric approach to cell based assays.

Molecular Biology

  • Clonings
  • Genotyping
  • Real-Time PCR
  • Small Interfering RNA (siRNA)
  • Transient Transfections

Our Cell Products

primary cultures of CNS and Stem Cells

Cell Line Cell Type Source Cell Count Storage Info
CNS Cortical Neurons
  • Cortex of E18-E19 Sprague Dowley rat
  • CD-1 mouse embryo
  • C56/B6 mice
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
CNS Hippocampal Neurons
  • Cortex of E18-E19 Sprague Dowley rat
  • CD-1 mouse brain
  • C56/B6 mice
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
CNS Cortical Astrocytes
  • Cortex of E21 Sprague Dowley rat embryos
  • P1/P2 CD-1 mice
  • C56/B6 mice
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
CNS Hippocampal Astrocytes
  • Hippocampal area of embryonic E21 or postnatal Sprague Dowley rat
  • CD-1 mice
  • C56/B6 mice
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
CNS Microglia
  • Glial cocultures Sprague Dowley rat
  • CD-1 mice embryos
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
CNS Mixed Glial Cells
  • Cortex of E20 Sprague Dowley rat embryos
  • CD-1 mice embryos
  • C56/B6 mice
 ~3M cells / vial -20°C
Stem Cells Adipose Tissue-Derived MSC Rat/mouse adipose tissue ~3M cells / vial -20°C
Stem Cells Bone Marrow-Derived MSC Rat/mouse bone marrow (tibia and femurs) ~3M cells / vial -20°C


Integrated Technology Platforms

MicroTISSUE: a multiparametric microfluidic platform to study the microenvironment in different physiopathological scenarios.

MicroTISSUE recreates in vitro tissue complexity, dissecting cell-cell communication and cross-talk mechanisms responsible for pathology onset and progresson.

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