NCATS

At the present time, all NIH-sponsored meetings are canceled so we need to postpone this workshop. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

About the Workshop

The NCATS Assay Guidance Workshop for High-Throughput Screening and Lead Discovery will be held in person on April 9-10, 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.

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Agenda

Download the agenda

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About the Assay Guidance Manual Program

The AGM program is a world-class source of guidelines and best practices for advancing translational science and research in the preclinical development of novel therapeutics and offers training and insight for those desiring to become translational scientists. This program provides scientists with community-developed best laboratory practices in early translational research, including robust assay development, analytical technologies, data analysis tools and preclinical drug discovery standards. The program also aims to help the preclinical drug discovery workforce understand the value of robust, reproducible and replicable results.

The AGM program provides multiple resources, including the AGM eBook. This manual contains best practices in preclinical drug discovery and is free and publicly available from the National Library of Medicine; its editorial board has members from both the private and public sectors.

The program offers in-person and virtual multiday training workshops and conferences. It also hosts an AGM Preclinical Translational Science Webinar Series. This series highlights distinguished translational scientists who share case studies and information about preclinical translational science.

Workshop Organizing Committee

Benjamin Bader, NUVISAN ICB GmbH	Abigail Grossman, NCATS
Hannah Baskir, NCATS	Matthew D. Hall, NCATS
Kyle Brimacombe, NCATS	Sarine Markossian, NCATS
Martin de Kort, EATRIS	Bahne Stechmann, EU-OPENSCREEN

Acknowledgements

This workshop is supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NCATS, NIH, and through funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research & Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101132028 (IMPULSE) and No 101057442 (REMEDi4ALL).