MLPCN: Small molecules, big impact

The right small molecule probe can transform a research project. The NIH’s Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN) offers access to thousands of small molecules – chemical compounds that can be used as tools to probe basic biology and advance our understanding of disease. Small molecules can help researchers understand the intricacies of a biological pathway or be starting points for novel therapeutics. The Broad Institute’s Probe Development Center (BIPDeC) is part of the MLPCN and offers access to a growing library of over 330,000 compounds for large scale screening and medicinal chemistry. Once a project is accepted by the NIH and assigned to BIPDeC, you have access to a multi-million dollar probe development engine that works for you at no cost.

BIPDeC is open to researchers at the Broad and beyond. Scientists from across the United States and around the world who would like to work with the Broad’s probe development team to advance their research should contact the screening facility directly to learn more. The BIPDeC team of scientists has helped researchers with projects related to cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, infectious disease, psychiatric disease, cancer, and more.

Researchers working with BIPDeC have the support of the Broad’s experienced team of professional scientists, many of whom have pharmaceutical and biotechnology backgrounds. BIPDeC scientists perform primary screens and confirmatory screens and can help collaborators design experiments that leverage the MLPCN’s extensive screening library. In addition to access to the hundreds of thousands of compounds in the screening collection, collaborating researchers also have access to a wealth of resources and materials, including state-of-the-art robotic instrumentation and highly-trained medicinal chemists skilled in optimizing compounds for potency, selectivity and biological availability.

Further Information on Entry and Endorsements

• Process for BIPDeC endorsement of R01 and R21 grants
• PAR-12-058 Solicitation of Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes (R01)
• PAR-12-059 Solicitation of Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes (R21)
• PAR-12-060 Solicitation of Validated Hits for the Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes (R01)