The new patent, US 7,847,066, describes the invention of a universal assay for UDP-glycosyltransferases based on direct detection of UDP in a high-throughput format.
BellBrook Labs claims with the Transcreener UDP Assay the detection of UDP produced in the enzyme reaction allows for a universal system to measure UDP-glycosyltransferase activity with any acceptor substrate.
The Transcreener HTS Assay offers advantages over other assay methods that require separation steps, as it allows homogenous and mix-and-read detection, the company said.
In combination with existing Transcreener assays for GDP and CMP, the new technology is expected to accelerate the discovery of improved drugs targeting glycosylation events in diseases, such as neurodegeneration, type II diabetes and cancer.