Over the past years, EU-OPENSCREEN has been growing a unique library of compounds, the European Academic Compound Library (EACL), composed entirely of synthetic and natural compounds submitted to us by academic chemists. Through our open-access compound-sharing initiative, we have been connecting with chemists around the world to source compounds for this library, which we profile for biological activities (“bioprofile”) and integrate into screening campaigns at EU-OPENSCREEN partner sites.  

This compound-sharing initiative would not be possible without the support of our submitters, who prepare and ship compounds to us from around the world. Join us as we highlight four of our most recent compound submitters: 

Dr Jaime Mella, University of Valparaíso, Chile 

This past September marked a major milestone for the EACL: we welcomed our first submission from South America! Dr Jaime Mella from the University of Valparaíso, Chile, submitted compounds to us with scientific collaboration in mind.  

“Our motivation to submit compounds to EU-OPENSCREEN is not only to advance drug discovery,” Jaime shared with us, “but also to establish new scientific collaborations through the platform it provides.”  

Now that Jaime’s compounds are integrated into the EACL, they may be used in screening campaigns for EU-OPENSCREEN collaboration projects. If any of Jaime’s compounds are identified as a hit, he will be promptly notified and invited to collaborate with the biologist behind the assay. 

Prof. Jørn Hansen, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway 

We also received a set of compounds from Prof. Jørn Hansen of the Arctic University of Norway (UiT). Jørn hopes his submission will help harness the value of otherwise underutilised compounds.  

“As organic chemists we make a lot of unusual and new compounds that often go to waste or are forgotten in a freezer for decades,” Jørn told us. “We believe all new compounds that have been created should be explored for their characteristic properties [...] to determine whether they can benefit humankind and society in one way or another.”  

Not only are compounds submissions integrated into screening campaigns, but the bioprofiling data are made openly available after a six-month embargo period in our European Chemical Biology Database (ECBD). This means both biologists and data scientists can make use of the compounds – giving them far more exposure than they would ever have in a freezer in Norway!  

Dr Lucia Pintilie, National Institute from Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Romania  

Dr Lucia Pintilie of ICCF, Romania, hopes to glean additional value from the compounds her team synthesised to combat microbial resistance. “Resistant bacteria threaten virtually all classes of antibacterial agents," we heard from Lucia.  

In addition to designing and synthesising compounds with activity against MRSA, Lucia hopes to discover even more biological activities in her submission to the EACL through the bioprofiling and screening campaigns.  

Prof. Dr Andreas Link, University of Greifswald, Germany 

We also received a shipment of compounds from Prof. Dr Andreas Link of the University of Greifswald, Germany. When asked about his motivation to submit, Andreas noted the economic value of making compounds available to the research community.  

“Design, synthesis, purification, and characterisation of hitherto undescribed substances is a costly endeavour for the taxpayer,” Andreas told us. “Thus, it is necessary to make these compounds available for other researchers [to make the investment worthwhile]”. Integrating these compounds into the EACL now means they can be used by our collaborators worldwide across numerous biological contexts.  

We warmly thank all compound submitters and look forward to valuable collaborations going forward!  

To learn more about our compound-sharing initiative, please see our brochure: https://www.eu-openscreen.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom_and_downloads/Compound_Submission_Brochure__web_24_11_2024__opt.pdf

This initiative is supported by the EU-funded project IMPULSE [101132028].