Molecular Libraries and Imaging
The Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center is a charter member of the Molecular Libraries Screening Centers Network (MLSCN).
MLSCN is a vanguard research wing of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research.
The NIH Roadmap involves three transformational themes. One is called New Pathways to Discovery. New Pathways covers five bold research initiatives. One of the initiatives is Molecular Libraries and Imaging, illustrated on this page.
MLSCN is the high-throughput biological screening component of the Molecular Libraries and Imaging initiative. Our mission is to expand the availability and use of chemical probes to explore the function of genes, cells, and pathways in health and disease. Members of MLSCN work with compounds warehoused in the Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository (MLSMR). We publish annotated information on the biological activities of these compounds in a public database (PubChem), enabling timely and efficient sharing of discoveries among scientists nationwide.
All ten members of the MLSCN collaborate transparently: the whole is greater than the sum of our parts. The members are:
- Emory Chemical Biology Discover Center
- MLSCN Center at Columbia University
- New Mexico Molecular Libraries Screening Center
- NIH Chemical Genomics Center
- Penn Center for Molecular Discovery
- Pittsburgh Molecular Libraries Screening Center
- San Diego Center for Chemical Genomics
- Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center
- Southern Research Molecular Libraries Screening Center
- Vanderbilt University Molecular Libraries Screening Center
The Chemical Biology Discovery Center at Emory University is one of 10 nodes in the national network. We have the capability to adapt and optimize all target-based and phenotypic assays selected by the MLSCN for development, but we have identified protein-protein interactions for small molecule discovery as our major theme. With two general screening platforms established, we are able to perform both HTS and HCS using a variety of in vitro biochemical assays, cell reporter assays, and cell phenotype-based assays. In particular, we are experienced in assays for monitoring protein-protein interactions and enzyme activities with fluorescence-based assays, including fluorescence intensity, fluorescence polarization, and FRET. Examples of assays that are within our center's capacity include protein-protein interaction (FI, FP, FRET, AlphaScreen), enzyme assays (FI, FP, and other coupled assays), receptor-ligand interaction (FI, FRET, Ca2+ imaging), reporter assays (luciferase, GFP, etc), viability assays and protein translocation (e.g., receptor internalization and membrane & nuclear localization).
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