About IMPULSE

Work Package 1 – Long-term sustainability & access procedures

Lead: EU-OS

The activities under WP1 are designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of EU-OPENSCREEN so that it can continue to provide top-tier services to the scientific community. To this end, WP1 will support the integration of the novel services and methods developed within IMPULSE into the EU-OPENSCREEN framework, thereby making them more readily available to scientific collaborators. WP1 will also engage with candidate member countries and potential funders within and beyond Europe to secure the research infrastructure’s long-term financial stability.

Work Package 2 – Creating a repository of community compounds

Lead: USC

Under EU-OPENSCREEN's compound-sharing initiative, chemists are invited to donate compounds to the European Academic Compound Library (EACL), where they will be assessed for biological activity in a set of bioprofiling assays. This compound submission process aims to catalyse cooperation between chemists and biologists, facilitated by the expertise of the EU-OPENSCREEN screening centres within an IP-sharing model that rewards all parties.

WP2 aims to bolster this compound-sharing initiative by proactively engaging with chemists via a network of ambassadors from EU-OPENSCREEN member countries to explain the benefits of submitting compounds. WP2 will also streamline the processes for transferring submitted compounds, running bioprofiling assays and sharing the resulting data.

Work Package 3 – Validating pharmacology using advanced disease models & genetic screens

Lead: KI & UC

Successful preclinical drug discovery depends heavily on the ability of experimental cell models to mirror human pathophysiology. As such, WP3 aims to establish capabilities and workflows for bioactive hit validation in complex and high-fidelity cellular disease models. Expertise in advanced disease models and genetic screening tools will be mapped across the consortium, and demonstrator/technology development projects will be launched to leverage cross-consortium synergies for future users of EU-OPENSCREEN's services.

Work Package 4 – New chemical modalities

Lead: CSIC

To complement the current EU-OPENSCREEN medicinal chemistry portfolio, WP4 is developing new chemical modalities beyond the traditional small molecules to attack more challenging biological targets. These new modalities include new chemical probes (fluorescent, activity-based and traceless proximity probes), targeted degraders (e.g., heterobifunctional degraders like PROTACs or RIBOTACs), enzymatic modulators and multi-target molecules associated with polypharmacology.

Through close collaboration between medicinal chemistry and screening partner sites, these services will be rigorously developed and validated in demonstrator projects. When integrated into the EU-OPENSCREEN portfolio, these services will facilitate the development of chemical probes, smart drug candidates and emergent therapeutic approaches.

Work Package 5 – Data reproducibility & operational standards

Lead: IMG

As part of EU-OPENSCREEN's commitment to open science, screening data produced within the network are made publicly available according to the FAIR principles via our European Chemical Biology Database (ECBD). WP5 aims to enhance EU-OPENSCREEN's standard operating procedures for data acquisition and analysis at all partner sites through a round of interlaboratory comparisons (ring testing) to see that data are collected consistently across the consortium, thus ensuring the reproducibility of the data deposited in the ECBD.

WP5 also aims to increase the integration of public EU-OPENSCREEN data into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

Work Package 6 – ML/AI for identification of modes of action with cell painting and small molecule data

Lead: FFUL

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have proven immensely valuable to drug discovery in recent years. To demonstrate its utility to drug discovery research and the EU-OPENSCREEN community, WP6 will establish a service to predict the modes of action of small molecules using AI/ML methods. This WP proposes a comprehensive pipeline to develop this service, including training data curation, demonstrator projects and dissemination of open-source code to the scientific community.

Work Package 7 –Training and capacity building

Lead: EU-OS

A core activity within EU-OPENSCREEN is to offer expert training opportunities to its staff, partners and external scientists on topics relevant to the network’s services and capacities. Under WP7, IMPULSE will enhance its training on topics beyond the scope of EU-OPENSCREEN's regular programme, such as project management for partner sites and fundamental chemical biology/early drug discovery concepts for early-career researchers. Planned activities include knowledge-sharing sessions, staff exchanges, job shadows and lecture-based learning opportunities.

WP7 will also organise trainings on the new scientific services and data management protocols developed within IMPULSE to accelerate their integration into the EU-OPENSCREEN portfolio.

Work Package 8 – Engagement of public–private initiatives

Lead: USC

Strong collaborations among diverse sectors are critical for advancing research and ensuring the long-term sustainability of EU-OPENSCREEN. Within WP8, the IMPULSE consortium will liaise between EU-OPENSCREEN partner sites, academic actors, industrial partners, foundations and other public–private initiatives to accelerate cross-communication, promote joint projects and streamline access for private partners and external users to the EU-OPENSCREEN platform. Actions include holding industry-focussed workshops, executing demonstrator projects for drug discovery initiatives and precompetitive technologies, and defining access routes and IP regulations for industrial partners.

Work Package 9 – Outreach and dissemination

Lead: EU-OS

To ensure that the messages of IMPULSE and the EU-OPENSCREEN reach all relevant audiences, the project includes a work package dedicated to outreach and dissemination. Beyond promoting the project’s results, achievements and opportunities, WP9 will strengthen networks and collaborations within and beyond the EU-OPENSCREEN community and raise awareness about opportunities offered within the network.

Work Package 10 – Project management

Lead: EU-OS

As the coordinator of IMPULSE, the EU-OPENSCREEN central office is responsible for implementing the project’s day-to-day management activities under WP10. This includes monitoring the project workplan; ensuring effective communication within and outside the consortium; ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and ethical requirements; coordinating reporting to the European Commission; integrating guidance from experts in the field, promoting gender equality and inclusion; and identifying opportunities to align and collaborate with further EU objectives and initiatives.