Automated Cell-based Assay Optimization by Design of Experiment

Amy Siu, Jimmy Bruner, Deirdre Luttrell, Cathy Finlay, Mike Emptage and David Cooper

GlaxoSmithKline

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

The High Throughput Biology (HTB) department at GlaxoSmithKline implements statistical methods and procedures for developing and validating cell-based assays. Design of experiments (DOE) is a widely used and proven statistical method for optimizing experiments and processes. During phase I, the automation team in partnership with the statistics group did five DOEs to optimize the performance of a proprietary Erk MAPK Activation HitKit from Cellomics. In phase II, the team developed an in-house kit, using three DOEs. The GSK in-house kit was directly compared to the Cellomics Hitkits as optimized in phase I. The GSK kit had a larger window, lower background, and lower variability. Reagent costs for the two kits were also compared. This presentation describes experimental designs, automation programs, and statistical analysis of the data.