One Tracer, Dual Platforms: Unlocking Versatility of Fluorescent Probes in TR-FRET and NanoBRET Target Engagement Assays

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Abstract Target engagement assays are essential for drug discovery, utilizing Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (TR-FRET) and Nano Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (NanoBRET) as complementary methods for biochemical and cellular evaluation. Traditional platforms require distinct fluorescent tracers, increasing costs and complexity. This study systematically evaluates the cross-platform performance of T2-BODIPY-FL and T2-BODIPY-589, tracers developed for receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) target engagement in TR-FRET and NanoBRET applications, respectively. Our results demonstrate both tracers effectively bridge biochemical and cellular assays, providing reliable measurements. T2-BODIPY-589 demonstrates superior performance in NanoBRET (Z’ up to 0.80) and acceptable functionality in TR-FRET (Z’=0.53). Conversely, T2-BODIPY-FL performs optimally in TR-FRET (Z’=0.57) and exhibits NanoBRET potential (Z’ up to 0.72). Competition assays with an unlabeled inhibitor yielded consistent binding constants across all combinations. These findings suggest a single tracer can integrate diverse assay platforms, enhancing consistency and comparability in drug discovery. Competing Interest Statement J.W. is the co-founder of Chemical Biology Probes LLC. J. W. has stock ownership in CoRegen Inc and serves as a consultant for this company. J.W. is the co-founder of Fortitude Biomedicines, Inc. and holds equity interest in this company. Footnotes Added BTK-nLuc data in HeLa cells Added tracer stability experiments ABBREVIATIONS - TR-FRET - Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer - NanoBRET - Nano Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer - NanoLuc - NanoLuc luciferase - RIPK1 - receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 - HEK293T - human embryonic kidney 293T cells - Kd - equilibrium dissociation constant - Ki - inhibition constant - Z’ - Z-prime factor - LP - longpass filter - BODIPY - dipyrrometheneboron difluoride - Tb - terbium - FL - fluorescein - NCT - nonchloro TOM - IC50 - half-maximal inhibitory concentration - mM - millimolar - nm - nanometer - μM - micromolar - nM - nanomolar

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last seen: 2026-05-20T01:45:00.602351+00:00