Staphylococcus aureus - Xen40 Infectious disease is a perennially important area for both life science research and drug discovery. Some of the first applications of IVIS® imaging technology were in tracking infections and monitoring host responses, and these applications are still at the forefront of research. PerkinElmer's bioluminescent infectious disease light-producing microorganisms have been developed to mimic both acute and chronic standard infection protocols presently used by researchers. Engineered Bacterium: Staphylococcus aureus - Xen40 Parental Strain: UAMS-1 In Vitro/Ex Vivo: Growth profiles, Catheter model In Vivo: Biofilm Advantages of using bioluminescent light-producing microorganisms for drug discovery in vitro: Rapid and readily amenable to high throughput screening, e.g., 96 or 384-well format Sensitivity - subtle changes in cellular viability are rapidly detected Inexpensive - no additional substrates needed for bacterial assays Advantages of using bioluminescent light-producing microorganisms for drug discovery in vivo: Rapid identification of lead drug candidates Real-time efficacy data May help to decrease drug failure by allowing disease relapse to be monitored in the same animal