Integrating Affinity Selection Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Into a Drug Discovery Workflow

High-throughput screening remains one of the most powerful, unbiased approaches in drug discovery for revealing novel small molecule modulators of biochemical and cellular activities. However, not all therapeutic targets exhibit functional activity and are therefore not amenable to traditional biochemical assays. Affinity selection mass spectrometry (ASMS) has emerged as an attractive screening strategy for challenging protein and oligonucleotide targets, particularly those that do not exhibit functional activity.

The emergence of targeted protein degradation through PROTACs, for example, has motivated the need for rapid screening assays that identify non-covalent binding molecules to initiate development. The general ASMS strategy encompasses incubating the target with a single or pool of small molecules, isolating the target-small molecule complex, and then detecting the binding molecule using mass spectrometry.

This workflow has been applied with some variations using distinct methodologies and MS instrumentation. Understanding the advantages and limitations of these approaches is critical for selecting which technique is suitable for the target and gives the highest likelihood for achieving drug discovery goals.

Register for this webinar to hear a discussion of key aspects to consider for maximizing opportunities to integrate a successful ASMS assay for drug discovery, including the small molecule library, the specific ASMS methodology and converting ASMS hits into promising leads. The webinar will highlight a recently described novel ASMS approach that combines surface chemistry with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS and the opportunities it affords for screening virtually any target.

Speaker

Zack Gurard-Levin, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, SAMDI Tech

Dr. Zack Gurard-Levin has served as chief scientific officer at SAMDI Tech Inc. since June 2016. He brings over 15 years of multidisciplinary research experience with expertise in chemistry, biochemistry, cellular biology and translational research. Dr. Gurard-Levin was a pioneer user of SAMDI technology and co-developed SAMDI as a high-throughput, label-free solution for drug discovery research. Prior to SAMDI Tech, he was a research scientist at the Institut Curie in Paris, France, leading epigenetics drug discovery and diagnostics projects in oncology. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and has been awarded multiple research grants. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Institut Curie.

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