LIGHT ON HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING - FLUORESCENCE-BASED ASSAY TECHNOLOGIES

Fluorescence-based assay technologies can offer equivalent, if not gre ater, sensitivity to isotopic detection systems but have the added adv antages of greater versatility, stability, safe handling and ease of d isposal. Emerging technologies for high-throughput applications can be divided into four categories: time-resolved fluorescence, fluorescenc e resonance energy transfer, fluorescence:polarization and fluorescenc e correlation spectroscopy. Novel fluorescence detection equipment has also been developed specifically for cellular systems. This report de scribes some of the key technologies that are now commercially availab le.