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March webinar summary: High Content & Phenotypic Screening at the European Lead Factory
High Content and Phenotypic Screening are two cell-based approaches offered by the European Lead Factory (ELF). They are performed on cells or tissues grown in vitro and often combine substantial automation, big data handling, and customised analysis workflows running on high performance computing systems.
In our ELF webinar on 11 March, we were fortunate to be joined by Professor Jason Swedlow and his colleague Zoe Gage of the National Phenotypic Screening Centre (NPSC) at the University of Dundee. Jason and Zoe gave an in-depth presentation on High Content & Phenotypic Screening and showcased the capabilities for High Content Screening (HCS) assays that are available within the ELF. They also provided useful tips and tricks for how to get the most out of a HCS at the ELF.
As reflected during the presentation, when it comes to the development of new drugs, many significant challenges can be faced. Indeed, within the initial phase of securing good hits to take forward for drug development, there are several hurdles that need to be overcome. It is here that the ELF can make a big difference, helping academics and SMEs drive their research forward to discovery and development.
“The European Lead Factory has put together a substantial library of compounds,” said Jason. “Through this library, researchers have access to the knowledge of chemical space and expertise from a wide range of pharmaceutical companies and can use the library to define hits to take forward for drug discovery. The opportunity to partner with serious and accomplished drug development efforts is also a critical feature of the ELF programme.”
The NPSC has significant experience in executing HCS campaigns that utilise a wide variety of image-based technologies including multiplexed fluorescent microscopy assays, live-cell time-lapse imaging, and automated high-throughput flow cytometry. The NPSC can facilitate the automation of your High Content and Phenotypic assays and incorporate customised workflows, offering the expertise to successfully execute the screening campaign with the ELF library.
If you are curious about HCS within the ELF but weren't able to attend the webinar, a recording of Zoe and Jason's presentation is available to view online.
The webinar was part of a series of online meetings hosted by the ELF Programme Office. To stay informed of upcoming sessions, make sure to register your details here.