Use of non-canonical amino acids as metabolic markers for rapidly-dividing cells

A high throughput screening method for identifying a compound that inhibits cell proliferation, the method comprising:

• (1) contacting a control cell with a non-natural amino acid comprising a first reactive group, under conditions where the non-natural amino acid is preferentially incorporated into the newly synthesized proteins of the control cell;
• (2) contacting a control cell with a labeling reagent comprising a second reactive group and a labeling moiety, wherein the first and second reactive groups react to label the non-natural amino acid with the labeling reagent;
• (3) repeat steps (1) and (2) to label a test cell at the presence of a candidate compound;
• (4) comparing the quantity of the labeling moiety in the control cell and the test cell, respectively;
• wherein a decrease in quantity of the labeling moiety in the test cell is indication that the candidate compound inhibits proliferation of the test cell.