Molecular Screening Shared Resource (UCLA)

The Molecular Screening Shared Resource (MSSR) is a core facility open to all research labs on campus. The services provided include assay development and execution, data mining and the use of robotic high throughput screening (HTS) technology. 

For small molecule drug discovery, a total of roughly 300,000 compounds in various libraries are available. The MSSR is currently funded by the JCCC and the California NanoSystems Institute as well as grants from the NIH and DOD. We have libraries covering FDA approved drugs, kinases, natural products as well as human metabolites. Assays will be automated to enable rapid screening of 10,000+ tests per diem using our custom robotics. Also available are accompanying assay development services that can take advantage of our set of 20 validated reporter gene constructs. We have high content screening capabilities or support all plate reader based readouts including luminescence, alpha, TF-FRET, FRET, fluorescence, OD etc...

For CRISPR cell line engineering, we offer CRISPR services such as the generation of KO cells in all cellular backgrounds as well as the execution of CRISPR screens using Cas9 or Cas-i/a. Also available are services for the generation of cell lines overexpressing any transgene desired through lentiviral or transposon based technologies. Also available are arrayed cDNA, siRNA, shRNA and CRISPR sets for the mouse/human genome. Individual clones are any of these libraries (cDNA, lentiviral cDNA , shRNA and CRISPR) are available against nearly any gene in the genome. Resulting cells are available as populations or individual clones. 

For automated confocal or widefield imaging, we provide services including the robotically automated imaging of samples in multi-well format (e.g. 6 well, 96 well and 384 well plates) as well as slide based imaging. The services include fully automated imaging which does not require any manual labor. 

For image analysis we provide services that take advantage of an industrial strength data processing pipeline that offers conventional image analysis through pre-formulated algorithms as well as novel artificial intelligence based image analysis capabilities that enable quantification of complex phenotypes (e.g. neurite outgrowth, colony formation etc.) and also enable image analysis from phase contrast images without fluorescent stains. This platform also offers deep learning approaches towards phenotype classification algorithms useful for categorizing of phenotypic cellular responses.

For more information, please visit the Molecular Screening Shared Resource site.

Last updated
September 27, 2023