Postponed: Assay Guidance Workshop for High-Throughput Screening and Lead Discovery

Unfortunately, with the cancellation of all NIH-sponsored meetings, we need to postpone this workshop. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

The NCATS Assay Guidance Workshop for High-Throughput Screening and Lead Discovery will be held in person on 9-10 April 2025, at NUVISAN Innovation Campus Berlin in Berlin, Germany.

This free workshop will be followed by an optional day of tours of Nuvisan and EU-OPENSCREEN facilities in Berlin on April 11. This workshop is jointly organized by the NCATS Assay Guidance Manual (AGM) Program, EATRIS, EU-OPENSCREEN, and NUVISAN. The two-day workshop will cover a broad range of critical concepts underlying assay development and implementation for high-throughput screening and lead discovery projects. This workshop is designed to disseminate critical information about the implementation of robust assay methods and is particularly relevant for researchers developing molecular probes or clinical candidates. Many of the instructors have 20 to 30 years of experience in drug discovery and will share information not readily found in a classroom or published material outside of the AGM. The workshop will also cover emerging technologies and modalities in drug discovery, including the use of in silico methodologies and 3-D cellular models in drug discovery.

Goals and Objectives

This workshop’s goal is to create a positive impact on research efficiency and rigor by providing participants with a broad, practical perspective on assay development and data analysis so they can improve the translational potential of research projects involving drug discovery; identify reagents, methods and instrumentation that are well suited to robust assays; and develop robust assays and the required counter and secondary assays for targets of interest.

Specific learning objectives of this workshop include:

• Gain an overview of the Assay Guidance Manual eBook as an important resource for detailed information about robust assay methods and best practices in quantitative biology.
• Identify practical approaches for developing robust assays for biochemical, cell-based, and high-content screening as well as the selection of optimal assay reagents and instrumentation.
• Gain an overview of biophysical approaches to small molecule discovery and validation.
• Discuss sources of assay artifacts and strategies to identify artifacts through the development and implementation of counter assays.
• Interpret important statistical and data analysis concepts with an emphasis on using these concepts to collect the best possible data and make go/no go decisions based on experimental results.
• Identify practical approaches for lead selection and optimization.
• Dissect case studies on how to build translatable biochemical and cell-based assays for drug development.
• Discuss challenges and opportunities in establishing and implementing best practices in early drug discovery.
• Gain overviews and practical perspectives on new and emerging modalities in drug discovery.
• Share experiences and seek practical advice about individual research concerns.

Find out more and register here.

See agenda below