IBT High Throughput Research and Screening Center

Overview of Services

While there have been spectacular advances in our ability to understand the basic mechanisms that contribute 
to the growth of many types of disease, there remain significant challenges in translating these discoveries into treatments that are of direct benefit to patients. Part of the problem is that many researchers lack access to the types of specialized resources for drug discovery that are available to scientists working in pharmaceutical companies. The goal of the IBT High Throughput Screening Program, has been to provide researchers with access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies that they can use to translate the results of their research into new treatments for disease.

The Combinatorial Drug Discovery Program (CDDP) is a critical component of this larger program. The CDDP is focused on helping researchers to repurpose existing approved drugs, either alone or more often in combination, to treat different types of disease. The great advantage of drug repurposing is that a great deal is already known about the properties of established drugs, their side effects, their dosing requirements etc. making it much cheaper and much faster to get them into the clinic than if they were brand new drugs. Research supported by this core facility will have a direct impact on the development of new treatments for many diseases.

The CDDP supports both target-based and phenotypic drug discovery projects.  The core has established methods to perform screens using most industry standard biochemical assays (e.g., fluorescence, luminescence, Alphascreen).  The CDDP has also well-established methods for developing both 2D and 3D cell-based model systems.  The CDDP uses a number of automated confocal microscope platforms for both fixed and live cell imaging.  The CDDP can perfrom library screening in simple 2D monolayer cultures and in the more complex 3D in vitro models including spheroids, organoids (cells grown in matrices), and certain commercially available microphysilogical systems (e.g., Mimetas Organoplates).

In additon to performing lbibrary screening, the CDDP has a data science compenent that can apply machine learning and deep learning methods to both image and data anaylsis in combination with industry standard screening data analysis.  The infomrativcs team can, with additonal data provided by collaborators, integrate 'omics data to provide additonal context to the results through a pharmacogenomic analysis of the screening data.

Leadership

Peter Davies
Director
713-677-7474
pdavies@tamu.edu

Clifford Stephan
Scientific Director
713-677-7456
cstephan@tamu.edu

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

1. IBT Cores listing
2. CDDP Screening Application
3. Stephan Lab/Screening Core specific
4. TxSACT Homepage
5. Core Marketplace RRID: SCR_022214

Contacts