LABORATORY OF BIOASSAYS (LBE): A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PLATFORM FOR AUTOMATED BIOASSAYS AND BIOPHYSICAL STUDIES IN LATIN AMERICA

High-throughput (HT) and high-content (HC) screenings are powerful tools to investigate molecular mechanisms in a wide range of biological contexts. These approaches require automation to ensure reproducibility and scalability, which often makes the process more expensive and less accessible. To overcome this, the Laboratory of Bioassays (LBE) at LNBio/CNPEM offers free access and technical support to researchers from different fields, integrating biochemical, cellular, and biophysical techniques in a fully automated environment. The LBE team supports users during the entire workflow, from assay design to execution and data analysis, sharing not only access to advanced infrastructure, but also technical expertise and scientific knowledge. LBE offers free access to academic researchers and financial support for users from outside the state of São Paulo (Latin America and Caribbean). Access is granted via submission of a scientific proposal on the SAU platform. Once approved for technical feasibility, the user is invited for an online meeting to align technical issues and expectations. During the scheduled visit, an LBE staff member provides full support throughout all experimental stages. Among its capabilities, LBE performs Thermal Shift Assays (TSA) using the CFX96 Real-Time System (Bio-Rad®) to evaluate protein thermal stability and identify ligand-binding events. This miniaturized, high-throughput-compatible method provides key insights into protein behavior under different conditions and allows screening of compound libraries with high efficiency and low sample consumption. TSA, when combined with complementary assays, supports the study of intermolecular interactions, signaling pathways, and other biological processes of interest as hit validation and target characterization. For biochemical assays, the LBE is equipped with ClarioStar multimode plate reader (BGM LabTech®), allowing measurements by absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence and anisotropy. An HCS Operetta fluorescent microscope (PerkinElmer®) is dedicated to phenotypical screening and morphological alteration analysis, using nuclear and other fluorescent markers across multiple excitation/emission wavelengths. As a multidisciplinary facility, LBE serves diverse research groups, promoting access to advanced technologies for the study of complex biological systems. With its free of charge model and dedicated technical support, LBE strengthens collaborations, fosters high-quality science and democratizes access to cutting-edge technology in Latin America.

This work was supported by LNBIO/CNPEM, from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI).