Project Details
Projekt
High Content Analysis Imager (Renewal)
Subject Area
Biological Chemistry and Food Chemistry
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 579073182
Modern drug discovery characterizes drug candidates early and comprehensively in terms of their interaction with the target and at the cellular level. High-content analysis (HCA) has been established as the standard for cellular screening, using a high-resolution microscope to analyze the phenotypic effects of drugs on cellular systems at high throughput. HCA imagers use fluorescence and bright field techniques to enable multiparametric imaging from the cellular to the subcellular level. Images can then be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using powerful image analysis software. At Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, many research groups are engaged in modern drug discovery. This begins with the design, isolation, and synthesis of natural products and active substances and then extends to preclinical development for the analysis of drug effects on isolated targets as well as on cells and tissues. One focus is on oncological drug research. The effects of potential cancer drugs are tested not only on cancer cells, but also on non-cancer cells and immune cells to test their selectivity. Non-cancer and immune cells are cell types that are also found in the tumor microenvironment. The simultaneous analysis of different cell types with regard to parameters such as cell death, mitochondrial activity, membrane integrity, or nuclear changes requires multiparametric, high-resolution analysis methods such as HCA imaging. Mechanisms of cell death (apoptosis, necrosis), effects on metabolic activity (mitochondria), damage to genomic DNA, or changes in membrane permeability, as well as marker proteins, can be determined in parallel using fluorescence markers. A high-performance, fast microscope system is essential to ensure cellular and subcellular resolution in microplates. The complexity of the analyses also results from the epigenetic research focus. Inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDAC) lead to changes in chromatin structure, resulting in extensive changes in gene and protein expression. HDAC inhibitors can reverse chemoresistance in cancer cells. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, multiple functional effects of such inhibitors on the cellular system must be analyzed, such as signal transduction pathways, which can be performed using fluorescence-labeled antibodies and probes. Active substances will further be tested not only individually but also in combinations. This increases the complexity of the analysis. In order to continue the success of drug research at a state-of-the-art level, a modern, high-performance HCA imager is indispensable. Existing and planned interdisciplinary and interfaculty research proposals will benefit greatly from the acquisition of an HCA imager.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
High Content Analysis Imager (Erneuerung)
Instrumentation Group
5042 Mikroskope für Hochdurchsatz und Screening
Applicant Institution
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
