MP-292 is a bona fide Mdm2 binder with on-target cellular activity. (A) MP-292 binds to recombinant Mdm2 in a host of biophysical assays, including competitive fluorescence polarization (left panel), isothermal titration calorimetry (middle panel), and surface plasmon resonance (right panel). (B) MP-292 shows cellular activity in a β-lactamase-based p53 reporter assay (left panel) but not in counterscreen assays, such as those probing for disruption in membrane integrity (lactate dehydrogenase release, middle panel), nor a β-lactamase based reporter-assay driven from a tetracycline-dependent promoter (p53 independent, right panel).