scholarly journals Cross-platform Bayesian optimization system for autonomous biological assay development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Elder ◽  
Carleen Klumpp-Thomas ◽  
Adam Yasgar ◽  
Jameson Travers ◽  
Shayne Frebert ◽  
...  

Current high-throughput screening assay optimization is often a manual and time-consuming process, even when utilizing design-of-experiment approaches. A cross-platform, Cloud-based Bayesian optimization-based algorithm was developed as part of the NCATS ASPIRE Initiative to accelerate preclinical drug discovery. A cell-free assay for papain enzymatic activity was used as proof-of-concept for biological assay development. Compared to a brute force approach that sequentially tested all 294 assay conditions to find the global optimum, the Bayesian optimization algorithm could find suitable conditions for optimal assay performance by testing only 21 assay conditions on average, with up to 20 conditions being tested simultaneously. The algorithm could achieve a seven-fold reduction in costs for lab supplies and high-throughput experimentation run-time, all while being controlled from a remote site through a secure connection. Based on this proof-of-concept, this technology is expected to be applied to more complex biological assays and automated chemistry reaction screening at NCATS, and should be transferable to other institutions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-590
Author(s):  
Sam Elder ◽  
Carleen Klumpp-Thomas ◽  
Adam Yasgar ◽  
Jameson Travers ◽  
Shayne Frebert ◽  
...  

Current high-throughput screening assay optimization is often a manual and time-consuming process, even when utilizing design-of-experiment approaches. A cross-platform, Cloud-based Bayesian optimization-based algorithm was developed as part of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) ASPIRE (A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration) Initiative to accelerate preclinical drug discovery. A cell-free assay for papain enzymatic activity was used as proof of concept for biological assay development and system operationalization. Compared with a brute-force approach that sequentially tested all 294 assay conditions to find the global optimum, the Bayesian optimization algorithm could find suitable conditions for optimal assay performance by testing 21 assay conditions on average, with up to 20 conditions being tested simultaneously, as confirmed by repeated simulation. The algorithm could achieve a sevenfold reduction in costs for lab supplies and high-throughput experimentation runtime, all while being controlled from a remote site through a secure connection. Based on this proof of concept, this technology is expected to be applied to more complex biological assays and automated chemistry reaction screening at NCATS, and should be transferable to other institutions. Graphical Abstract


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 804-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Boudjelal ◽  
Ana Maria Ruiz-Avendano ◽  
Gonzalo Colmenarejo ◽  
Sergio A. Senar-Sancho ◽  
Ashley Barnes ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadaf Kalsum ◽  
Blanka Andersson ◽  
Jyotirmoy Das ◽  
Thomas Schön ◽  
Maria Lerm

Abstract Background Efficient high-throughput drug screening assays are necessary to enable the discovery of new anti-mycobacterial drugs. The purpose of our work was to develop and validate an assay based on live-cell imaging which can monitor the growth of two distinct phenotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and to test their susceptibility to commonly used TB drugs. Results Both planktonic and cording phenotypes were successfully monitored as fluorescent objects using the live-cell imaging system IncuCyte S3, allowing collection of data describing distinct characteristics of aggregate size and growth. The quantification of changes in total area of aggregates was used to define IC50 and MIC values of selected TB drugs which revealed that the cording phenotype grew more rapidly and displayed a higher susceptibility to rifampicin. In checkerboard approach, testing pair-wise combinations of sub-inhibitory concentrations of drugs, rifampicin, linezolid and pretomanid demonstrated superior growth inhibition of cording phenotype. Conclusions Our results emphasize the efficiency of using automated live-cell imaging and its potential in high-throughput whole-cell screening to evaluate existing and search for novel antimycobacterial drugs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 247255522110006
Author(s):  
Lesley-Anne Pearson ◽  
Charlotte J. Green ◽  
De Lin ◽  
Alain-Pierre Petit ◽  
David W. Gray ◽  
...  

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents a significant threat to human health. Despite its similarity to related coronaviruses, there are currently no specific treatments for COVID-19 infection, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop therapies for this and future coronavirus outbreaks. Formation of the cap at the 5′ end of viral RNA has been shown to help coronaviruses evade host defenses. Nonstructural protein 14 (nsp14) is responsible for N7-methylation of the cap guanosine in coronaviruses. This enzyme is highly conserved among coronaviruses and is a bifunctional protein with both N7-methyltransferase and 3′-5′ exonuclease activities that distinguish nsp14 from its human equivalent. Mutational analysis of SARS-CoV nsp14 highlighted its role in viral replication and translation efficiency of the viral genome. In this paper, we describe the characterization and development of a high-throughput assay for nsp14 utilizing RapidFire technology. The assay has been used to screen a library of 1771 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. From this, we have validated nitazoxanide as a selective inhibitor of the methyltransferase activity of nsp14. Although modestly active, this compound could serve as a starting point for further optimization.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 808
Author(s):  
Maurice Steenhuis ◽  
Corinne M. ten Hagen-Jongman ◽  
Peter van Ulsen ◽  
Joen Luirink

The structural integrity of the Gram-negative cell envelope is guarded by several stress responses, such as the σE, Cpx and Rcs systems. Here, we report on assays that monitor these responses in E. coli upon addition of antibacterial compounds. Interestingly, compromised peptidoglycan synthesis, outer membrane biogenesis and LPS integrity predominantly activated the Rcs response, which we developed into a robust HTS (high-throughput screening) assay that is suited for phenotypic compound screening. Furthermore, by interrogating all three cell envelope stress reporters, and a reporter for the cytosolic heat-shock response as control, we found that inhibitors of specific envelope targets induce stress reporter profiles that are distinct in quality, amplitude and kinetics. Finally, we show that by using a host strain with a more permeable outer membrane, large-scaffold antibiotics can also be identified by the reporter assays. Together, the data suggest that stress profiling is a useful first filter for HTS aimed at inhibitors of cell envelope processes.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e0129234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Forbes ◽  
Katherine Ebsworth-Mojica ◽  
Louis DiDone ◽  
Shao-Gang Li ◽  
Joel S. Freundlich ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 3399-3401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. McCormick ◽  
Shufeng Liu ◽  
Jana L. Jacobs ◽  
Ernesto T. A. Marques ◽  
Nicolas Sluis-Cremer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe have developed a robust cytopathic effect-based high-throughput screening assay to identify inhibitors of dengue virus (DENV) infection. Screening of a small natural product library yielded 11 hits. Four of these were found to be potent inhibitors of DENV, although serotype differences were noted. Taken together, these data suggest that screening of larger and more complex molecule libraries may result in the identification of more potent and specific DENV inhibitors.


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