Trans-Center Small Molecule Screening Laboratory

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The objective of the Small Molecule Screening Core within the RCE is to support biodefense-related research directed towards the development of new classes of therapeutic agents capable of interfering with the activities of biological weapons. A fully automated facility, capable of executing a number of small molecule screens, will be established. The Core will occupy newly remodeled space at Harvard Medical School, it will be equipped with the state of the art robotic equipment, and will assemble a number of synthetic compound libraries. These resources, together with the expertise of highly trained staff will be made available to individual investigators within the RCE, as well as to investigators with meritorious, biodefense related projects outside of the New England. The core will interact closely with the Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology at Harvard, further expanding the core's capabilities. Based on the expertise of the Core's staff, a number of diverse, high-throughput screening platforms will be supported, including whole bacterial assays, protein enzyme assays, protein-protein or protein-ligand interaction assays, and a variety of cell-based assays using cultured mammalian cells. The Core will assist the investigators in follow-up analysis of compounds using computerized databases, and will help in the development of moreprecise screens. The long-term objectives of the Core are to promote the development of novel screening platforms to meet changing biodefense needs. Moreover, it will serve as a centralized resource for testing alternative natural or synthetic compound libraries as well as promote interactions between RCE investigators and medicinal chemists in the development of lead compounds to therapeutic products. Further development of promising compounds will be evaluated in consultation with MAID, interested industrial partners, and the NERCE Scientific Steering Committee.