SLAS is pleased to announce the Board of Directors approved the slate of candidates for the 2019 Board of Directors at its November meeting. Each new board member will join the SLAS Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning at SLAS2019, February 2-6, in Washington, DC.

A new study published ahead-of-print by SLAS Discovery describes an evaluation of microplate-based high-throughput cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA HT) performed at AstraZeneca to assess its suitability and reliability for application to early drug discovery campaigns.

A study in the December 2018 issue of SLAS Technology demonstrates the feasibility of using a steady-state/lifetime fluorescence plate reader for direct optimization of challenging formulation conditions and highlights the importance of performing formulation optimization under commercially relevant conditions.

Researchers from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) explore recent developments and strategies for targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome as a potential therapeutic target in acute and chronic neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, and offer perspective on how this field may develop in the future.

SLAS, the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, has selected 50 students from 12 countries to present their research at SLAS2019 as the most recent winners of the SLAS Tony B. Academic Travel Award. These notable undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and junior faculty members were selected by an independent panel of judges who evaluated their abstract proposals based on scientific merit and potential impact of the research toward the advancement of life sciences discovery and technology.

A new auto-commentary looks at how an emerging area of artificial intelligence, specifically the analysis of small systems-of-interest specific datasets, can be used to improve drug development and personalized medicine.

The internet of things (IoT) is allowing scientists to optimize laboratory operations and combine instruments to measure and respond to complex experimental conditions. As a result, IoT is enabling more detailed and more complex experimental designs.

A new review in SLAS Discovery explores how improved safety screening strategies and methods are improving the pharmaceutical discovery and development process. The authors outline several fundamental methods of the current drug screening processes and emerging techniques and technologies that promise to improve molecule selection. In addition, the authors discuss integrated screening strategies and provide examples of advanced screening paradigms.

A time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based BTK occupancy assay measures target engagement in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in lymph-node and bone-marrow samples.

To aid in the discovery and understanding of lncRNA biology, newly published work features the technological platforms and methodology presently used to identify the roles of lncRNA in biology. This work highlights the databases and tools used to study lncRNA and techniques used to study their function.

SLAS has selected Kelci Schilly, a graduate research assistant in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS, USA), as the inaugural recipient of the 2018 SLAS Visiting Graduate Researcher Grant, and will cover her three-month visit to the laboratory of SLAS President Sabeth Verpoorte, Ph.D., at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands).

A new SLAS Discovery review article summarizes new methods of fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD) to identify new compounds as potential antibiotics. It explains how FBLD works and illustrates its advantages over conventional high-throughput screening.

A new SLAS Discovery review article by GlaxoSmithKline researchers in the U.S. and U.K. offers an informative guide to the established and emerging tools available for early drug discovery and screening, and provides illustrative scenarios demonstrating considerations that drive decisions on choice of lead discovery tactics.

New research describes the development of a novel screening platform with automated production of 3D muscle- and tendon-like tissues using 3D bioprinting.

Researchers at Coyne Scientific (Atlanta, GA) share perspective about Clinical Trials in a Dish (CTiD), a novel strategy that bridges preclinical testing and clinical trials.

New research highlights a diversity of approaches that automated high-throughput flow cytometry has enabled for phenotypic drug discovery.