Drug Discovery

Scottish Hit Discovery Facility

Researchers at SULSA universities can access industry-standard screening capabilities through collaboration with the SULSA-supported Scottish Hit Discovery Facility (SHDF) at the University of Dundee. The SHDF specialises in medium and high throughout screening of small molecule libraries against both molecular target and cell-based assays, and provides qualitycontrolled starting points for medicinal chemistry programmes.

The purpose-designed laboratories boast industry-standard equipment and software, with all standard screening technology outputs for isolated target and cell-based screening represented. The current screening capabilities of the unit are based around a series of compound sets amounting to a total of >90,000 compounds. These include known bioactive sets, gene family or biology focused sets and diversity sets. The large volume of data generated is managed within a secure, queryable database using purpose designed tools that link biological data to compound structure.

Contact
Dr David Gray
d.w.gray@dundee.ac.uk

Drug Discovery Portal

The Drug Discovery Portal (DPP), based at the University of Strathclyde, is a centralised resource for both chemists and biologists to work in tandem to enhance their drug discovery efforts. The DPP matches structures provided by chemists to targets provided by biologists, and uses advanced in silico screening for hit identification. The DPP also offers database creation and secure storage of proprietary molecules, virtual screening, druggability filtering and molecular docking analysis. DPP users can also access a proprietary collection of compounds synthesised by chemists, an extensive natural products collection, and a commercial collection from commercial suppliers. SULSA supports the DPP by funding an experienced researcher who works within the facility.

Contact
Dr Rachel Clark (Research Development
Manager): rachel.clark@strath.ac.uk

Compound libraries

SULSA is supporting the development of unique compound libraries, which will be accessible to SULSA researchers for screening assays. The Strathclyde Natural Products Library comprises 5120 extracts from around the world. With coverage of 90% of plant families, it is one of the most biodiverse (and hence chemically diverse) collections available for screening. The library can be accessed through collaboration with Strathclyde Innovations in Drug Research (University of Strathclyde), which offers facilities for high throughput screening, fractionation of hit extracts, isolation of active compounds, and determination of structures.

Contact
Professor Alan Harvey
a.l.harvey@strath.ac.uk

Scottish Biologics Facility

Biologic ligands including classical monoclonal antibodies (and their fragments), peptides and alternative binding scaffolds are invaluable tools for biomarker validation, diagnostic assay development, in vivo imaging and drug discovery. Using phage display technology, large antibody or protein libraries can be selected and screened for target binding, by displaying binding sites on the surface of bacteriophage. The SULSA-supported Scottish Biologics Facility (SBF) at the University of Aberdeen will offer antibody-library screening services against a wide range of targets including proteins, peptides and haptens. In addition, SULSA-researchers will be able to gain training in phage display based selection, screening techniques, antibody reformatting etc. through the experienced technologist working within the facility. The facility has recently increased its staff and has moved to new facilities on the University of Aberdeen's Forseterhill site. The process of establishing suitable protocols for antibody selection is now well underway. It is anticipated that the facility will be able to offer antibody selection as part of the next round of SULSA Translational Biology Screening (Q2 2010). 

The Aberdeen Natural Products Library
Facility

The Aberdeen Natural Products Library Facility will make compound libraries available for screening; these will include a purified extract library and a pure compound library. The compounds will be produced by the established Marine Biodiscovery Centre in Aberdeen, which has considerable expertise in obtaining extracts and pure compounds from marine biota. The libraries will be available to researchers at SULSA institutions for testing of diverse biological targets using various high throughput screening platforms.

Contact
Professor Marcel Jaspars
m.jaspars@abdn.ac.uk

Marine Biodiscovery Centre Compound and Extract Libraries

The centre brings together complementary expertise in biology, chemistry, compound isolation and characterisation. The centre has a library of extracts and pure compounds from marine organisms, because the marine environment provides a broad range of habitats and organisms that studies have indicated produce a diverse range of novel compounds and structures with potent biological activities. For more information click here (pdf).

Contact
Professor Marcel Jaspars
m.jaspars@abdn.ac.uk

SULSA High Throughput Screening Fund

Several Scottish universities offer excellent facilities and expertise for high throughput small molecule and biologics screening. But investigators can struggle to find sources of funding for screening, particularly when their research is at an early stage. The SULSA High Throughput Screening Fund was established to help bridge this gap. The choice of facility or laboratory for running the proposed screen is at the discretion of the applicant. Successful 2008 projects – seven projects in total, from six different universities – tackled diverse biological targets for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, inflammatory disease, pain associated with nerve damage, trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and pneumococcal infection. The application form, guidelines and dates for the next round of applications are available on the SULSA website.

Contact
Janette Moore (SULSA Administrator)
j.m.moore@dundee.ac.uk