Development of cost-effective, homogenous 384-well high throughput screening assays for A beta 1-42 and A beta 1 40 using Alphascreen (TM) technology

beta-Amyloid peptides (A beta) are the major constituent of amyloid plaques, one of the hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). ELISA assays are often used to quantitate A beta peptides, but they are relatively labour-intensive and difficult to automate. Therefore, we have developed and optimised simple, sensitive, homogenous 384-well assays for A beta 1-42 and A beta 1-40 using Alphascreen (TM) technology. The assays are capable of detecting A beta peptides at concentrations 5pg/ml and, using a final assay volume of 20ul, routinely generate z' values >0.85. The Alphascreen (TM) format has the key advantages that it requires substantially less "hands on" time, has higher precision, is easier to automate and has higher throughput than ELISA assays.