High-Throughput Drug Screening (HTDS) Facility for childhood leukemia and tumors
Welcome to the High-Throughput Drug Screening (HTDS) Facility of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology of the Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf.
Using modern high-throughput screening technologies, we work on the identification and evaluation of new drug candidates and therapeutic substances. We aim to combine innovative biological research with the development and classification of new drug groups for tumor treatment. There is a close cooperation with Prof. Dr. Thomas Kurz at the Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, HHU Düsseldorf.
For children with malignant refractory or (multiple) relapsed diseases, we are trying to open up new treatment options beyond standard therapy. In the laboratory, we are testing a large number of drugs that have already been approved or are still in development for their ability to kill leukemia and tumor cells.
Our facility is equipped with the latest equipment to perform the complex processes of high-throughput screening.
- D300e Dispenser (Tecan): This digital dispenser enables the randomized distribution of drugs onto microtiter plates, which can handle both 6-well plates and up to 1536-well plates
- MultiDrop Combi (Thermo): After careful preparation of the microplates, our MultiDrop Combi supports the efficient pipetting of cell suspensions onto these plates. This ensures that each dilution is optimally adapted to the individual research requirements
- Spark 10 Plate Reader (Tecan): After the incubation phase the influence of the test compounds on cellular results is essential. Here, the Spark 10 Plate Reader is our instrument of choice, specifically designed to quantify aspects such as cell viability and other significant indicators.
- S3 Live-Cell Imaging (Incucyte, Sartorius): In live-cell imaging, the S3 system offers both label-free and fluorescence-based fluorescence-based techniques. It enables the acquisition of real-time images and provides important kinetic data that give deep insights into the behavior of cells.
We are also very open to scientific cooperation and look forward to hearing from you.
Selected publications:
High-throughput screening as a drug repurposing strategy for poor outcome subgroups of pediatric B-cell precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Oikonomou A et al. Biochem Pharmacol. 2023 Sep 15;:115809.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37717691/
Development of a First-in-Class Small-Molecule Inhibitor of the C-Terminal Hsp90 Dimerization.
Bhatia S et al. ACS Cent Sci. 2022 May 25;8(5):636-655.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35647282/
Targeting HSP90 dimerization via the C terminus is effective in imatinib-resistant CML and lacks the heat shock response.
Bhatia S et al. Blood. 2018 Jul 19;132(3):307-320.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29724897/
Additional literature:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/bhatia
External support:
Deutschen Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK)
Löwenstern e.V.
Tour der Hoffnung e.V.
DFG-geförderter Projekte (GRK 2158, BH 162/4-1)
