The mission of the High-Throughput Screening and Chemistry Stem Cell Shared Facility — co-funded by NYSTEM, the Helmsley Trust, and the Columbia Genome Center — is to make high-throughput discovery accessible to all stem cell researchers in New York State. We operate a state-of-the-art automation and miniaturization suite for high-throughput screening, and maintain a full complement of associated reagents and resources. These facilities can greatly accelerate the identification of active chemical compounds, and can assist in the development of a mechanistic understanding of biological systems using chemical biology- and shRNA/siRNA-based approaches. Our staff of trained PhD scientists can also help you in designing, optimizing, and implementing cutting-edge assays for stem cell research.

Our partners include Columbia University’s Organic Chemistry Collaborative Center and Chemical Probe Synthesis Facility, offering additional capabilities such as the design of small molecule and organic compounds, chemical optimization, and mechanistic investigations of lead compounds.

Our goal is to provide these capabilities at a cost that is within reach of all stem cell researchers in New York State. Our services include:

• Expert guidance on high-throughput assay design and optimization. Contact us to arrange an exploratory discussion to see how your favorite stem cell system can be adapted to high-throughput discovery mode.
• State-of-the-art technologies for conducting reproducible high-throughput screens. Our 1,860 square-foot screening facility on the 5^th floor of the Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion is fully equipped with multiple robotic platforms, as well as advanced technologies for automated image analysis and observing other outcome measures.
• Curated screening libraries containing thousands of small molecules
• Development and testing of novel small molecule probes for biological research, target identification, and drug discovery
• Collaborative informatics tools for accessing, manipulating, and visualizing data
• Integration with medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, next generation sequencing, and advanced data analysis
• Exclusive access to the Sigma Aldrich mouse and human shRNA collection for Columbia and NYSTEM investigators
• Exclusive access to high-throughput automated image analysis for your stem cell-related projects, even if they do not involve screening

Contact Us

To learn more about high-throughput screening for stem cell research, contact HTS scientific director Charles Karan.

If you have a compound for which you would like to synthesize analogs to improve potency, bioavailability, or toxicity, contact Shi-Xian Deng in the Organic Chemistry Collaborative Center.

If you have a compound whose mechanism you would like to analyze through targeted analog synthesis and target identification efforts, or whose pharmacokinetic properties you wish to study, contact the Chemical Probe Synthesis Facility at cps@biology.columbia.edu.