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Bioprofiling activities are starting at selected EU-OPENSCREEN screening partner sites

Oct. 28, 2021

Why is bioprofiling key to the work of EU-OPENSCREEN?

Bioprofiling refers to the analysis and annotation of chemical compounds, which are part of EU-OPENSCREEN’s screening collections. But how does bioprofiling support early drug discovery and preclinical research?

The bioprofiling of compounds helps to experimentally identify pan-assay interference of promiscuous compounds before scientists start investing time and effort in optimizing these non-progressible compounds. It ensures that precious resources are invested in genuine hit compounds which directly and specifically affect the drug target.

How can EU-OPENSCREEN help?

Large collections of compounds are screened with dedicated bioassays. The identified active compounds are optimised by our medicinal chemistry experts. These compounds then serve as starting points for the development of chemical probes to address research questions in basic science or novel drug leads.

The compound collections of EU-OPENSCREEN are used by more than 20 affiliated partner sites across Europe. Our partner sites also join forces to bioprofile the EU-OPENSCREEN compound collections in a unique and collaborative effort. They are testing more than 100,000 compounds in various biochemical, cell-based, and microorganism-based assays. The specific bioprofiling assays have been assigned to suitable EU-OPENSCREEN screening partner sites based on their proven expertise and experience.

How does this help scientists?

Scientists using the EU-OPENSCREEN compound collections will benefit considerably from the careful bioprofiling and the rich annotation of the compound collections.

The data generated by the bioprofiling initiative will significantly increase what we know about compound bioactivities. All compounds are comprehensively characterised before they are used by the scientific community.

The early identification of false-positives will also lead to significant cost and time-savings.

What are the next steps?

Most bioprofiling experiments were initiated before the end of 2021. However, the campaigns will be completed only in 2022, the exact dates depend on the complexity and nature of the assay.

Are you a biologist who has developed a promising bioassay and who is looking for access to screening platforms, compound collections and hit-to-lead chemistry capabilities? Then apply to EU-OPENSCREEN! Any scientist can apply for access no matter if you come from academia, a non-profit organisation or industry!
 
For more information please visit our website section on bioprofiling.