Course Overview
High Throughput Screening (HTS) is a revolutionary technique
used in drug discovery and development. It involves rapidly testing a large
number of compounds against a specific biological target to identify potential
drug candidates. This course aims to equip graduate and postgraduate life
sciences students in India with the essential knowledge and practical skills
required to excel in this dynamic field.
Course Objectives
- Understand
the fundamental principles and applications of HTS in drug discovery.
- Develop
a strong foundation in medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular
biology.
- Learn
about the various HTS technologies and platforms available.
- Gain
hands-on experience in designing and conducting HTS experiments.
- Develop
data analysis and interpretation skills for HTS data.
- Understand
the regulatory and ethical considerations in HTS.
Course Content
- Introduction to Drug Discovery and Development:
- Overview of the drug discovery process
- Target identification and validation
- Lead compound identification and optimization
- Principles of HTS:
- Miniaturization and automation
- Assay development and optimization
- Data management and analysis
- HTS Technologies and Platforms:
- Liquid handling robotics
- Microplate-based assays
- Imaging-based HTS
- Computational HTS
- HTS Assay Design and Development:
- Biochemical and cellular assays
- Assay validation and optimization
- Data quality control
- HTS Data Analysis and Interpretation:
- Data preprocessing and normalization
- Hit identification and confirmation
- Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis
Practical component:
• Experimental design of assays
• Setting up high throughput assays
• Taking high throughput read outs using various fluorescent dyes
• Interpretation of data
• Statistical analysis of the data
Course Delivery
The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures, practical sessions, and industry/academia guest lectures.
Career Opportunities
Successful completion of this course will prepare students for careers in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies, academic research institutions, and government regulatory agencies.
