Email: taosheng.chen@stjude.org
The High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Center, located in the Integrated Research Center, employs state-of-the-art automation and assay technologies to screen large collections of small molecules for the discovery of pharmacological tools and drug candidates. The HTS Center collaborates with investigators on the development, validation, and execution of HTS assays and investigates the mechanism of action and off-target toxic effects of "hit" compounds (those displaying desirable bioactivity). The center's biochemical and cell-based (BSL2+ compliant) assays use a growing collection of strategically selected compounds (currently ~525K compounds) maintained in an automated compound store. The HTS Center is also developing and integrating genome-wide RNAi technology into our current platforms.
Major equipment: Screening systems include the Staubli robotic arm; 242-plate Liconic incubators that can dock at multiple stations; HRE Cellario software to control the screening operation and manage data; liquid-handling robots with mixing and centrifugation capability; high-throughput plate readers for Alphascreen, fluorescence intensity, fluorescence polarization, time-resolved fluorescence, luminescence, and absorbance measurements; and automated microscope for cell-based high-content measurements.
Current members of the HTS Center:
Sergio Chai
Jimmy Cui
Asli Goktug
Wenwei Lin
Jonathan Low
Su Sien Ong