Vanderbilt High Throughput Screening Core Group

Overview of Services

HTS Core Group

The HTS Core Group is comprised of four different cores that provide different components of high-throughput screening. These different cores may be accessed for individual services such as independent instrument use or compound distribution. Or, they can work together to provide a comprehensive solution to high-throughput screening.

High Throughput Screening and High Content Imaging and Functional Genomics Core Facility

The assay development and HTS team is a group of expert staff responsible for developing and automating biological assays as well as conducting biochemical and cell-based high-throughput screens to identify new lead compounds that benefit both mechanistic studies and drug discovery/development. Working closely with research investigators, the HTS team strives to provide rapid, cost-effective assay development and chemical library screening. The team aids in instrument training/assistance, assay optimization, pilot screening, automation, data capture and analysis, full library screening, and screen validation.

HTS and HCIFG Instrument Core Facility

The HTS facility houses state-of-the-art liquid handlers and multi-mode plate readers that are compatible with a range of assay designs.  Liquid handling capabilities allow for volume transfers ranging from 2.5 nanoliters to milliliters, in various combinations of fixed and random plate arrays. Instrument technologies include iterative scanning plate reading, kinetic imaging plate reading, high-content imaging, and scintillation counting. These technologies support a range of assay modes including fluorescence, luminescence, fluroescence polarization, time-resolved fluorescence, AlphaScreen, absorbance, fluorescence and trasmitted light microscopy and radiometric. Instrument may be used as part of a full-service model including staff support or you may be trained for independent use.

Compound Management Core

The Compound Management facility houses a state-of-the-art automated compound management system (Brooks Universal Store) that provides environmentally controlled storage and on-demand access to the library compounds. The chemical library collection consists of chemically diverse screening libraries to smaller, targeted collections. Compounds can be dispensed into a variety of tube and plate formats to accommodate the research investigator’s needs.

Informatics Core

The Informatics team is responsible for integrating automation and instrumentation with downstream data handling and reporting.  They have developed a flexible plate-based analysis software platform enabling the storage, analysis and querying of experimental data including container-level sample tracking. 

Leadership

Dr. Paige Vinson, Research Assistant Professor
Director of the HTS Core Group

Dr. Gary Sulikowski, Stevenson Professor
VICB Director

Core Staff

High Throughput Screening and High Content Imaging and Functional Genomics Core Facility

HTS and HCIFG Instrument Core Facility

Compound Management Core

Informatics Core

Hours of Operation and Location

Links and Resources

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hts/

Contacts