success-story

Neurite outgrowth assays are the most common phenotypic screen to assess chemical effects on neuronal cells. Current automated assays involve expensive equipment, lengthy sample preparation and handling, costly reagents and slow rates of data acquisition and analysis. We have developed a high throughput screen (HTS) for neurite outgrowth using a robust neuronal cell model coupled […]

Known agonists of the orphan receptor GPR35 are kynurenic acid, zaprinast, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylproplyamino) benzoic acid, and lysophosphatidic acids. Their relatively low affinities for GPR35 and prominent off-target effects at other pathways, however, diminish their utility for understanding GPR35 signaling and for identifying potential therapeutic uses of GPR35. In a screen of the Prestwick Library of drugs […]

Huntington’s disease (HD) is associated with increased expression levels and activity of tissue transglutaminase (TG2), an enzyme primarily known for its cross-linking of proteins. To validate TG2 as a therapeutic target for HD in transgenic models and for eventual clinical development, a selective and brain-permeable inhibitor is required. Here, a comprehensive profiling platform of biochemical […]

Malaria is responsible for 3 million deaths annually. Antimalarial drug resistance is widespread, and few novel, well-defined targets exist. A robotic high throughput screen (HTS) was performed using 4000 small molecules from a natural compound (Spectrum), pharmacologically active (Lopac), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug library (Prestwick) for competitive inhibition of the ATP-binding […]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase is a key target for the development of therapeutic agents aimed at the treatment of HCV infections. Here we report on the identification of novel allosteric inhibitors of HCV NS5B through a combination of structure-based virtual screening, synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) optimization approach. Virtual screening of 260,000 compounds […]

Dengue virus (DENV) infections are vectored by mosquitoes and constitute one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in many parts of the world, affecting millions of people annually. Current treatments for DENV infections are nonspecific and largely ineffective. In this study, we describe the adaptation of a high-content cell-based assay for screening against DENV-infected cells […]

Adverse effects of drugs (AEDs) continue to be a major cause of drug withdrawals in both development and postmarketing. While liver-related AEDs are a major concern for drug safety, there are few in silico models for predicting human liver toxicity for drug candidates. We have applied the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approach tomodel liver AEDs. […]

Importance of the field: Flow cytometry is considered today as a mature technology. Recently, it has become an accurate tool for screening applications. Yet, not many studies have been published emphasizing flow cytometry as a tool of choice for drug screening except multiplex bead assay. Areas covered in this review: Scanning the literature for technology […]

Neuroactive small molecules are indispensable tools for treating mental illnesses and dissecting nervous system function. However, it has been difficult to discover novel neuroactive drugs. Here, we describe a high-throughput, behavior-based approach to neuroactive small molecule discovery in the zebrafish. We used automated screening assays to evaluate thousands of chemical compounds and found that diverse […]