Echo 555 Acoustical Droplet Ejection System for High-throughput Screening

Roth, Michael

Abstract

The UT Southwestern high-throughput screening (HTS) laboratory creates and conducts screens of small molecules to identify those that can become leads for developing therapeutics or used as tools in research. In addition, the HTS laboratory conducts genomic RNAi screens to identify novel targets for the development of therapeutics. The HTS laboratory manages the UTSW chemical compound file currently including more than 200,000 drug-like small organic compounds. This compound library, which was purchased with institutional and NIH funds, is provided at no cost to UT Southwestern Investigators who have approved projects. The HTS laboratory aids UT Southwestern investigators in developing assays that are capable of being screened in HTS format, either locally by the HTS laboratory or as part of the MLPCN. The HTS laboratory screens assays and collects and analyzes screening data. The HTS lab conducts secondary screens required to validate compounds of interest identified during primary screening experiments. Working with the investigators of a NCI-funded Program Project, members of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, or other NIH-funded investigators, scientists in the HTS laboratory prioritize the compounds of interest identified in HTS experiments and manage resupply and storage of those compounds. The HTS core maintains an Oracle database of screening data so that the activity of compounds of interest in any HTS experiment can be compared to all other HTS experiments conducted with the UTSW compound file. In addition to conducting HTS screens, the HTS laboratory trains and advises students, postdoctoral fellows, staff scientists and faculty at UT Southwestern on the development and execution of HTS experiments.