HIGH-THROUGHPUT BIOLOGY CORE – ABSTRACT The High-Throughput Biology Core will support Project Teams with target-based and phenotypic high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns to identify diverse tractable chemical matter and SAR (structure-activity relationship)-enabling primary dose-response assays for lead identification and optimization efforts. This will be achieved in close collaboration with the Virology Core (providing molecular target hypothesis and develop BSL2 suitable vectors for translatable in vitro phenotypic assay systems) and the Drug Discovery Core (helping to design tailored screening sets for iterative HTS and providing medicinal chemistry support to enable lead identification and optimization). The High-Throughput Biology Core, with established in-house expertise in assay development and miniaturization, proficiency in diverse recombinant protein expression systems, compound and data management systems, and state-of-the-art screening and automation infrastructure including BSL2 HTS capability, will enable HTS to identify new chemical starting points for drug discovery and also validate new targets. Further, the High-Throughput Biology Core will also enable medicinal chemistry efforts to improve on-target potency and enhance selectivity with robust SAR-enabling primary dose-response assays. This will facilitate the optimization of lead candidates with improved physiochemical properties having desirable potency, selectivity and ADME properties to ultimately deliver safe and efficacious promising clinical candidates. In summary, the High-Throughput Biology Core will enable UNAPP’s drug discovery efforts by helping Project Teams to identify tractable diverse chemical matter necessary to validate new targets and support antiviral drug discovery to ultimately select the best candidate for development.