Integrated Discovery Biology Services

Molecular Biology

PI Health Sciences Discovery Services provides both prokaryotic and mammalian custom engineered cell line services, starting from plasmid construction to protein expression verification. We are proficient in a variety of cutting-edge methods such Plasmid/Lentiviral/Adenoviral/BACMAM vector based stable and transient transfections, electroporation and lipid nanoparticle-based transfections. We have a timeline of 4-5 weeks for a stable cell pool and 10-12 weeks for a stable cell line.

Plasmid DNA and Molecular Cloning

PI Health Sciences provides end-to-end plasmid design and molecular cloning services, including transformation workflows, competent cell preparation, and bacterial culture expansion. We support both blunt-end and sticky-end cloning strategies, alongside mutagenesis and advanced sequence- and ligation-free cloning approaches. Our systems are optimized across standard bacterial platforms such as DH5α, Stbl3, and JM109 to enable reliable construct generation for downstream discovery applications.

Transcript Expression

Our transcript expression capabilities include high-quality RNA extraction from diverse sample types, including cell lines, fresh and frozen tissues, and FFPE specimens. We perform quantitative gene expression analysis using both SYBR Green and TaqMan real-time PCR methodologies, supporting copy number determination and relative expression profiling to enable robust target validation and pathway confirmation.

Protein Expression and Quantification

PI Health Sciences delivers comprehensive protein expression verification and quantification using orthogonal analytical platforms, including native and SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and JESS systems, ELISA, FACS, and Biacore-based interaction analysis. Additional capabilities such as co-immunoprecipitation support mechanistic protein studies and functional characterization across discovery-stage workflows.

Cell Engineering

We offer advanced cell engineering services through plasmid, lentiviral, adenoviral, and BACMAM vector-based stable and transient transfection systems. Our platforms include electroporation and lipid nanoparticle-based delivery, reporter gene promoter assays, IRES-enabled multi-protein expression, and siRNA/shRNA knockdown models. We also support tagged and organelle-specific protein expression (Golgi, ER, nucleus, membrane) to enable precise functional interrogation in disease-relevant cellular contexts.

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Target Identification and Validation

PI Health Sciences Discovery Biology provides integrated Target Identification and Validation services to support early discovery programs from hypothesis generation through target confirmation. With advances in functional genomics, systems biology, and translational disease models, we enable the systematic identification of high-confidence therapeutic targets linked directly to disease biology. Our scientific platforms establish target relevance, mechanism of action, and biological tractability, ensuring that targets are robust, druggable, and aligned with downstream development strategies across therapeutic modalities.

Target discovery and validation services include:

Target Selection & Characterization

PI Health Sciences supports systematic target prioritization through biological characterization, druggability assessment, and disease relevance confirmation. Our integrated discovery frameworks enable confident selection of high-value targets aligned with therapeutic strategy and downstream development feasibility.

Disease Mechanisms

We investigate disease-driving mechanisms through functional biology and pathway-linked validation assays. These studies establish the causal role of targets within disease progression and provide mechanistic evidence to guide early discovery decisions.

Model Selection and Assay Planning

PI Health Sciences designs fit-for-purpose cellular and molecular assay systems using disease-relevant models optimized for target interrogation. Our scientists ensure assay strategy, biological context, and readouts are aligned to support robust validation and screening workflows.

Omics (Genomics)

Our genomics-enabled discovery platforms support target identification through integrated omics analysis and functional genomics validation. These approaches enable systematic mapping of target-disease associations and prioritization of biologically actionable candidates.

Pathway Analysis

PI Health Sciences delivers pathway-driven validation through mechanistic profiling of signaling networks and downstream biomarker response. We confirm target involvement, pathway impact, and functional modulation to strengthen translational confidence.

Knock-in/Knock-out Studies

We deliver mechanistic target validation through complementary genetic perturbation platforms, including CRISPR-based knock-in/knock-out modulation and RNA interference approaches. These workflows confirm target dependency, pathway consequence, and functional impact in cellular systems, providing decision-ready evidence for progression into hit identification and lead optimization.

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In Vitro Biology Assays & Instrumentation

At PI Health Sciences , our in vitro screening and biochemical assay platforms provide the experimental backbone for integrated drug discovery across small molecules, peptides, and biologics, including monoclonal antibodies. With advanced assay technologies and scalable screening formats, we enable rapid identification of active compounds, early potency confirmation, and mechanistic characterization to support confident progression through discovery pipelines.

An end-to-end drug discovery screening workflow—from primary biochemical assays to cell-based functional screening, selectivity profiling, target engagement, and translational studies—designed to validate hits and advance them toward clinical relevance.

Our biochemical screening capabilities span enzyme activity, binding, and dose-response profiling using multiple detection platforms, including fluorescence intensity, time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF), luminescence, absorbance, fluorescence polarization, AlphaLISA, and calcium flux assays. These assays generate robust outputs such as percent inhibition, IC₅₀ values, and full dose-response curves in medium to high-throughput formats.
PI Health Sciences also offers quantitative SPR-based interaction analysis using high-throughput Biacore systems to evaluate peptide-protein, protein-protein, antigen-antibody, and small molecule-protein interactions. These studies provide key kinetic and affinity parameters, including k_on, k_off, and K_D, supporting screening, epitope binding, and relative potency assessment.

Selectivity profiling and translational ex vivo studies using patient-derived tissues and immune cell functional analysis further strengthen biological relevance and downstream development confidence.

In vitro screening and biochemical profiling services include:

• Primary biochemical screening assays across enzyme activity and affinity binding formats
• High-throughput technology platforms including fluorescence, luminescence, HTRF, AlphaLISA, absorbance, and calcium flux assays
• Secondary functional cell-based assays for cytotoxicity, proliferation, phosphorylation, cytokine release, and mechanistic pathway validation
• Quantitative SPR-based interaction analysis for kinetics, affinity determination, epitope binding, and relative potency profiling
• Selectivity assessment across isoforms and species, alongside ex vivo translational studies using patient-derived tissues and immune cell functional profiling

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In Vitro Pharmacology

PI Health Sciences discovery Biology provides integrated or isolated services (FFS) to support target validation, biochemical and biophysical screening, cell based functional analysis, target engagement, MoA exploration, and biomarker profiling. We develop bespoke assays with validation/qualification (QC), in a medium to high through-put format, to support the characterization of compounds throughout the lead candidate (PCC) drug selection process. Our scientists have extensive discovery experience with various targets and therapeutic modalities, including but not limited to small molecules, PROTACs, molecular glues, bicyclics, mAbs and engineered mAbs. Our functional and mechanistic cell-based assays support the screening of both small and large molecules for a variety of diseases, to improve translational success in vivo. Our team supports various therapeutic areas, including oncology/immuno-oncology, autoimmunity, immunology/inflammation, and neurologic disorders.

Small Molecule Screening

PI Health Sciences delivers high-throughput biochemical screening assays to support small molecule discovery across enzyme activity, binding behavior, and kinetic characterization. Our assay formats include fluorescence, absorbance, fluorescence polarization, luminescence, FRET/TR-FRET, AlphaScreen, and NanoBRET, scalable across 96, 384, and 1536-well platforms. We also provide specialized screening workflows for GPCR targets, including SPR/Biacore and FACS-based binding studies, along with functional readouts such as calcium flux, cAMP, β-arrestin, and IP-1 modulation. For targeted protein degradation modalities such as PROTACs, we support binding and ternary complex assays, protein degradation confirmation via WB/JESS, and ubiquitination profiling.

Large Molecule Screening

PI Health Sciences offers integrated large molecule screening services for peptides, monoclonal antibodies, and engineered biologics, enabling affinity determination, specificity confirmation, and functional binding characterization. Our platforms include SPR-based kinetic profiling using Biacore 8K, FACS-based binding assays, ELISA-driven specificity testing, and high-content flow cytometry workflows to support rapid progression of biologic candidates through early discovery and optimization.

Therapeutic Area Specific Cell-Based Functional Assays

PI Health Sciences develops disease-relevant, cell-based functional assay systems to support mechanism-of-action exploration and translational screening across key therapeutic areas. In autoimmunity and inflammation, our capabilities include immune cell activation and differentiation assays across T, B, NK, macrophage, dendritic cell, MDSC, and regulatory T-cell subsets, alongside cytokine profiling, mixed lymphocyte reactions, cytotoxicity systems, and antibody-mediated effector assays such as ADCC, CDC, and ADCP. In oncology, we support cytotoxicity and proliferation workflows using platforms such as Incucyte, angiogenesis and apoptosis assays, motility and invasion studies, phosphorylation pathway analysis via WB/JESS, and comprehensive cell cycle and cell death profiling. Immuno-oncology assays extend into tumor microenvironment characterization through immune cell population mapping, checkpoint marker evaluation, and immune-cancer co-culture functional systems. For fibrosis, we provide epithelial-mesenchymal transition models and biomarker-linked gene expression validation by qPCR.

Ex Vivo Immunophenotyping and Immune Profiling

To enhance translational relevance, PI Health Sciences offers ex vivo immune profiling platforms leveraging patient-derived tissues, lymphoid samples, and peripheral blood systems. Our immunophenotyping workflows include deep flow cytometry-based subset analysis across CD4/CD8 populations, NK cells, B cells, dendritic cells, MDSCs, and macrophage polarization states. We evaluate immune exhaustion, activation, and checkpoint markers including PD-1, TIM-3, LAG-3, OX40, and 4-1BB, alongside cytokine and chemokine release profiling through ELISA and intracellular flow cytometry. Additional translational capabilities include lymphoid tissue response assessment and T cell dependent antibody response (TDAR) studies to support immune-functional validation across discovery programs.

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Organoids

At PI Health Sciences , organoid-based translational platforms enable physiologically relevant disease modeling and predictive drug response assessment beyond conventional 2D systems. Our 3D organoid capabilities bridge discovery and translational biology by capturing tissue-level complexity, cellular heterogeneity, and clinically meaningful functional responses. We establish scalable organoid models to support mechanism exploration, therapeutic screening, and patient-relevant validation across key disease areas.

Advanced 3D cell culture and organoid platforms—including spheroids, iPSC-derived, and patient-derived organoids—enable physiologically relevant, scalable, and patient-specific models for improved drug testing and disease discovery.

Organoid and 3D translational biology services include:

• 3D cell culture systems for improved predictive accuracy over traditional monolayer assays
• Cell line-derived spheroids for reproducible, high-throughput drug testing and tumor-like behavior studies
• iPSC-derived organoids to model patient-specific biology and generate functional mini-tissues for disease discovery
• Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) to enable clinically aligned response profiling, personalized therapeutic evaluation, and translational biomarker development

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Large Molecules

At PI Health Sciences , we provide specialized Discovery Biology workflows for the screening and characterization of large molecule therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), and bi-specific platforms. Our integrated screening cascade is designed to generate early, decision-ready evidence across binding performance, affinity strength, internalization behavior, and immune-mediated functional activity.We combine scalable assay formats with mechanistic and translational relevance, enabling confident selection and progression of biologic candidates across diverse therapeutic programs.

Binding Activity Assessment

PI Health Sciences initiates large molecule screening through robust binding activity assays to confirm antigen engagement and functional targeting. Our platforms support both recombinant antigen-based and cell-based binding evaluation.

Key capabilities include:

• Sandwich ELISA binding assays using Fc-tagged recombinant antigens
• FACS-based binding analysis using antigen-overexpressing CHO cell systems
• Binding assessment across varying expression levels (high, medium, low)
• Bi-specific binding assays across both tumor antigen and T-cell arms

Affinity Determination and Kinetic Profiling

To advance screening hits, we perform quantitative affinity determination using Biacore-based kinetic analysis. These studies provide critical insights into interaction strength and binding dynamics.

Services include:

• SPR-based affinity characterization of lead molecules
• Association and dissociation kinetic profiling
• Comparative ranking of candidate antibodies and constructs

Internalization and ADC Functionality Assays

For ADC and targeted biologic modalities, PI Health Sciences conducts internalization assays to quantify cellular uptake and target-driven internal trafficking, supporting payload delivery evaluation.

Capabilities include:

• High-throughput MMAF internalization assays
• Internalization kinetics using pH-sensitive dye methodologies
• Cellular uptake profiling to support ADC optimization

Immunology and Bispecific Functional Assays

For bi-specific molecules, screening extends into immune-mediated functional biology, enabling evaluation of T-cell redirection, conjugation formation, and target-specific cytotoxicity.

Key assays include:

• Bi-specific mediated T-cell and target cell conjugation analysis
• Cytotoxicity profiling in relevant co-culture systems
• Specificity assessment through selective effector cell depletion studies

Translational Extension and Cell Line Validation

PI Health Sciences further supports translational progression by extending cytotoxicity and functional assays across diverse suspension and adherent cell line models, ensuring activity consistency across clinically relevant contexts.

Applications include:

• Functional validation across multiple tumor and immune cell origins
• Translational relevance assessment beyond engineered systems
• Lead optimization support through expanded cell-based profiling

Throughput and Deliverables

Our large molecule screening platforms are scalable across:

• 24, 96, and 384-well assay formats
• Approx. ~100 molecules per week per FTE

Deliverables include:

• Percent inhibition
• Dose-response relationships
• IC₅₀ determination
• Binding, affinity, and internalization profiling
• Functional immune-mediated activity assessment

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Therapeutic Areas

PI Health Sciences Discovery Biology delivers end-to-end assay expertise across key therapeutic areas, supporting integrated drug discovery from early screening through translational validation. Our platforms span biochemical, cellular, genomic, proteomic, and advanced tumor model systems, enabling robust evaluation of small molecules, peptides, monoclonal antibodies, bispecifics, engineered antibodies, and emerging modalities.

We support oncology and immuno-oncology programs through comprehensive cytotoxicity, immune-mediated killing, checkpoint biology, and tumor microenvironment profiling workflows. Our immunology capabilities extend into autoimmune and inflammatory disease models, with deep expertise in immune cell activation, differentiation, cytokine profiling, and ex vivo immunophenotyping. Translational sciences are integrated through access to patient-derived tissues, peripheral blood, biopsies, and functional immune response characterization, strengthening clinical relevance across discovery pipelines.

Assays

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