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EU-OPENSCREEN Presents New Service Platform in Chemoproteomics and Spatial MS-Based Omics at HDDC 2025 in Berlin

Apr. 29, 2025

EU-OPENSCREEN's three new partner sites presented their advanced capabilities in chemoproteomics and spatial mass spectrometry (MS)-based omics in a dedicated session at this year's Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference in Berlin. The three new partner sites offer powerful tools that allow researchers to explore how small molecules interact with proteins in the body and where these interactions happen in tissues. This is crucial for developing safer and more effective medicines.

EU-OPENSCREEN Director General Dr Philip Gribbon opened the session by welcoming the new partners and highlighting the value they bring to the initiative. With their involvement, EU-OPENSCREEN strengthens its role as a unique platform that provides researchers across Europe with advanced tools to better understand how drugs work and accelerate drug discovery. Following his introduction, each new partner gave a presentation showcasing the methods and services they now offer as part of EU-OPENSCREEN.

Prof. Dr Bernhard Küster from the Technical University of Munich introduced the technologies developed by his proteomics lab to investigate drug mechanisms at the proteome level. His team contributes expertise in target identification, pathway analysis, and cellular reprogramming—supported by advanced mass spectrometry and bioinformatics.

Dr Massimiliano Gaetani from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm presented the capabilities of his ChemProt unit, which offers end-to-end chemoproteomics workflows. These include the PISA assay (Proteome Integral Solubility Alteration), as well as specialised tools for time-resolved proteomics, redox analysis, and post-translational modification studies.

Prof. Dr Carsten Hopf from the Centre for Mass Spectrometry and Optical Spectroscopy (CeMOS) at the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences showcased his centre’s strengths in MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). This technology enables researchers to visualise drug distribution and effects directly within tissues—even at single-cell resolution. His team applies MALDI-MSI to drug safety testing, 3D cell model imaging, and spatial biomarker discovery, supported by their own custom-built bioinformatics tools.

The session concluded with a lively Q&A, reflecting our community’s strong interest in this new EU-OPENSCREEN service platform and its potential to enhance collaborative research.

This new service platform is now available to researchers across academia and industry who are seeking deeper insights into compound mode of action and tissue-specific effects.

To learn more or explore collaboration opportunities, contact our Scientific Project Manager and expert in the field Yasemin Ucal at scientific-projects@eu-openscreen.eu