INDIGO Biosciences Expands Neuroscience Drug Discovery Portfolio with Human 5-HT2A Reporter Assay

New assay expands INDIGO’s neuropsychiatric drug discovery portfolio with functional 5-HT2A receptor testing for serotonergic therapeutics.

STATE COLLEGE, PA, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- INDIGO Biosciences, Inc., a leading provider of cell-based reporter assays, today announced the availability of its Human Serotonin 2A Receptor (5-HT2A) Reporter Assay, expanding the company’s portfolio of functional assays supporting neuropsychiatric drug discovery, serotonergic pharmacology, and secondary pharmacology screening.

“5-HT2A continues to attract significant attention as researchers explore new approaches to treating complex neuropsychiatric conditions,” said Dr. Andrew Woodman of INDIGO Biosciences. “Our human 5-HT2A reporter assay gives drug discovery teams a standardized, ready-to-use method for measuring functional receptor activity, helping them generate meaningful pharmacological data while reducing the time and resources required to develop and optimize an assay internally.”

The serotonin 2A receptor is an important therapeutic target across multiple areas of neuropsychiatric drug development. The receptor has long been associated with schizophrenia and psychosis and is inhibited by many atypical antipsychotic drugs. More recently, growing interest in serotonergic psychedelics has increased research into 5-HT2A activation in major depressive disorder, substance use disorders, and other psychiatric conditions.

INDIGO’s all-inclusive assay kit provides 5-HT2A reporter cells, optimized media, serotonin as a reference agonist, luciferase detection reagents, and a cell culture-ready 96-well plate. By eliminating the need to develop, transfect, and optimize an internal reporter system, the assay can help research teams accelerate implementation and generate reproducible functional data within existing drug discovery workflows.

The human 5-HT2A reporter assay further expands INDIGO Biosciences’ portfolio of cell-based solutions supporting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies developing next-generation therapeutics. With increasing investment and clinical research focused on neuropsychiatric medicines and serotonergic drug targets, functional receptor characterization represents an important component of candidate evaluation and development.

For programs focused on neuropsychiatric therapeutics, psychedelic drug development, serotonergic pharmacology, or secondary pharmacology, INDIGO’s human 5-HT2A reporter assay provides a standardized approach for evaluating how candidate compounds functionally modulate this receptor.

INDIGO Biosciences
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