The Chemical Biology Facility (ChBF) provides Hillman members with expertise in in vitro, cell-based, and whole organism assay design, development, implementation, and lead characterization and optimization. Specific techniques available include protein-protein interactions, fluorescence polarization, time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and nuclear translocation among other phenotypic and high content assays. Access to early safety assays is also available.
In addition to providing access to robust, sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective assays capable of screening a wide range of molecular targets against hundreds of thousands of existing and novel compounds, the ChBF provides guidance on designing and executing drug discovery and development projects from target and lead discovery through preclinical development. ChBF uses Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) as a major approach to drug discovery and development that combines computational and experimental methods to elucidate, validate, and apply new pharmacological concepts to the development and use of therapeutics.