Leads from high throughput screening now in clinical trials
Research conducted by HighTech Business Decisions
High-throughput screening has become an important part of drug discovery programs at both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. Now, after years of screening and testing, drug candidates initially found using HTS techniques are moving into clinical trials. Directors from 50 HTS laboratories participating in a new study, High-Throughput Screening 2000: New Trends and Directions, identified 46 drug candidates that originated in their HTS laboratories that are being tested in humans.
Because many scientists believe it can take up to 10 years before a drug candidate is screened, optimized, and tested in humans, the true success of HTS is yet to be determined given the short time it has been in use. The earliest date that one of the 46 drug candidates was screened is 1992, whereas the most recent date is 1998.
Most HTS directors at the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies predict they will be screening many more targets in the near future and cite genomics research as one source of the increasing number of targets. In addition, more compounds will be tested per screen. To meet these challenges, the directors are seeking technologies to facilitate higher-throughput. For example, the majority of HTS directors are using more 384-well microplate formats, primarily to increase throughput; reduce the use of scarce compounds, cells, membranes, and reagents; and to lower reagent costs. In a 1999 study, scientists predicted that by 2001, more than 40% of their primary screening would be in 384-well microplates on average. That goal was reached one year early, in 2000, with scientists in the new study reporting that almost 45% of HTS is done in 384-well microplates on average.
Sandra Fox, president of HighTech Business Decisions, says, "HTS directors are trying to meet drug discovery goals by increasing throughput and the information content of their screens. The pressure is on to ensure that the HTS operation provides therapeutic groups with valid leads in the shortest time possible. Products and services for high-density formats, new detection modes, improved automation, better assays and assay development platforms, multiplexing, diverse compound libraries, virtual screening, and bioinformatics are needed."
The industry report, High-Throughput Screening 2000: New Trends and Directions, is available from HighTech Business Decisions (Moraga, CA). For ordering information, visit the company's storefront on Pharmaceutical Online.
For more information, contact Sandra J. Fox, president of HighTech Business Decisions, at 925-631-0920 or sfox@hitechbiz.com.
Source: HighTech Business Decisions