Introduction
Despite tremendous advances in the application of biophysical methods in drug discovery, the preponderance of instruments and techniques still require sophisticated analyses by dedicated personnel and/or large amounts of frequently hard-to-produce proteins. A technique which carries the promise of simplicity and relatively low protein consumption is the differential scanning fluorometry (DSF), wherein protein denaturation is monitored, through the use of environmentally sensitive fluorescent dye, in a temperature-ramp regime by observing the gradual exposure to the solvent of otherwise buried hydrophobic faces of protein domains.
Areas covered
This review describes recent developments in the field, with a special emphasis on advances published during the 2010–2013 period.
Expert Opinion
There has been a significant diversification of DSF applications beyond initial small molecule discovery into areas such as protein therapeutic development, formulation studies, and various mechanistic investigations, serving as a further indication of the broad penetration of the technique. In the small molecule arena, DSF has expanded towards sophisticated co-dependency MOA tests, demonstrating the wealth of information which the technique can provide. Importantly, the first public deposition of a large screening dataset may enable the use of thermal stabilization data in refining in silico models for small molecule binding.