Molecular Screening Shared Resource
Delivering High Throughput Screening to the UCLA research community
Benefits of working with MSSR
The drug development process requires a heavy investment of resources: capital and personnel. Academic researchers are not in the business of developing drugs nor do they possess the resources to do so. Nonetheless, academic researchers are in the business of finding useful probes for their systems of interest. There are at least 3 aspects of the early stages of the drug discovery process which could be beneficial to an academic researcher:
High Throughput Screening (HTS) Technology
The services provided include the use of high throughput screening (HTS) technology, a total of over 200,000 compounds in various libraries, arrayed genome wide sets for CRISPR, cDNA, shRNA and siRNA for mouse and/or human. We also perform data analysis and cheminformatics taking advantage of deep learning approaches using AI and neuronal networks. The MSSR has automated equipment and data collection that make it possible to test > 100,000 compounds on a system of interest per day. Any readout is addressable: From simple plate reader based luminescent reporter gene readouts all the way to highly multiplexed high content screening applications in 3D that rely on our high throughput confocal capabilities.
Chemical Libraries
The libraries available at the MSSR cover FDA approved drugs for re-purposing, chemical genomics libraries for dissecting biological pathways, and various larger libraries for drug discovery. We also offer libraries of drugs in clinical trials such as kinase inhibitors. The larger the compound collection, the greater chances of finding a hit. Currently, MSSR has over 200,000 chemicals in supply with plans to expand even further!
Databases
The MSSR maintains databases of all assays run and their results. By cross referencing and collaborating with researchers who have employed related assays, additional information may be gained providing deeper insight into processes fundamental to health and disease.
Contact Information:
Robert Damoiseaux, Director
Phone: (310) 794-1974
Email: rdamoiseaux@mednet.ucla.edu
Scientific Advisors
Owen Witte, MD
Jing Huang, PhD
The MSSR is located at 6310 California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI).
- High-Throughput-Screening
- Drug Discovery
- Functional Genomics & Novel Applications
- User base includes: Small BioTech, Big Pharma, Academics, NIH
- Chemical Libraries: 180,000 compounds of drug-like molecules with emphasis on desirable target classes such as kinases, proteases, phosphatases, GPCRs and ion channel
- cDNA overexpression library of 16,000 clones accessible as "expression-ready" sets
- Plater reader based readouts and high content screening
April 20, 2022 | UCLA-developed technology enables single-cell sorting by function
For nearly 40 years, drugmakers have used genetically engineered cells as tiny drug factories. Such cells can be programmed to secrete compounds that yield drugs used to treat cancer and autoimmune conditions such as arthritis. ...
September 11, 2019 | UCLA-led research reveals potential treatments for deadly tropical disease
September 11, 2019 | UCLA-led research reveals potential treatments for deadly tropical disease One medicine is already FDA-approved for other uses, the second is a new synthetic antibiotic. by Wayne Lewis Philip Bulterys and colleagues tested more than 220,000...
February 25, 2019 | Lab-grown mini tumors could help identify personalized treatments for people with rare cancers
UCLA scientists have developed a new method to quickly screen hundreds of drugs in order to identify treatments that can target specific tumors. February 25, 2019 | Lab-grown mini tumors could help identify personalized treatments for people with rare cancers New...
September 3, 2018 | 8,000 new antibiotic combinations are surprisingly effective, UCLA biologists report
Scientists have traditionally believed that combining more than two drugs to fight harmful bacteria would yield diminishing returns. The prevailing theory is that that the incremental benefits of combining three or more drugs would be too small to matter, or that the...
February 8, 2018 | Device that measures cell strength could help identify drugs for asthma, hypertension and muscular dystrophy
Engineers, doctors and scientists at UCLA and Rutgers University have developed a tool that measures the physical strength of individual cells 100 times faster than current technologies.February 8, 2018 | Device that measures cell strength could help identify drugs...
UC launches drug discovery consortium
The UC Drug Discovery Consortium aims to support early drug discovery projects on UC campuses by sharing resources and expertise. The consortium launched with the help of a UC grant to the Drug, Device, Discovery and Development workgroup of UC Biomedical Research...
Using gene-editing technology for faster, cheaper antiviral drug development
In an advance that could lead to the development of better treatments for viral pathogens, such as Zika, a team of scientists at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA are developing a more accurate and more cost-effective DNA-screening system based on...