Ras GTPases regulate cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Inactive Ras is bound to GDP. Active, GTP-bound Ras changes conformation, allowing it to bind to effectors, including members of the Raf family, the RalGDS family and PI3-kinase. Traditional methods to assay for Ras activity have been performed using western blot methods. The Ras GTPase Activation ELISA Kit, however, is designed to detect the presence of activated Ras via ELISA using a chemiluminescent substrate and can be used to study novel Ras activating pathways.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase that has been implicated to play an important role in integrin-mediated signal transduction pathways. Physical interactions of FAK with the integrin cytoplasmic domain as well as cytoskeletal proteins talin, paxillin, and/ or tensin have been proposed to play a key role in FAK activation by facilitating its oligomerization and transphosphorylation. FAK shows a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation when stimulated by diverse signaling molecules, including those that regulate embryonic development, cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis, and efficient study methods are in high demand.