Open access chemical probes for epigenetic targets

Area of Science:

• Drug discovery and development
• Chemical biology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• High attrition rates in drug discovery necessitate improved target validation methods.
• Academic research often lacks pharmaceutical industry resources, leading to poorly characterized tool compounds.
• There is a need for reliable chemical probes to advance biological understanding and drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an open-access chemical probe consortium.
• To create well-characterized chemical probes for epigenetic targets.
• To facilitate new biological discoveries and target validation in drug development.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a consortium involving academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies.
• Focus on developing chemical probes for epigenetic targets.
• Emphasis on rigorous characterization of tool compounds.

Main Results:

• The SGC has successfully established an open-access chemical probe consortium.
• The consortium includes ten pharmaceutical companies.
• The initiative focuses on creating well-characterized inhibitors for epigenetic targets.

Conclusions:

• Epigenetic probe compounds are valuable tools for biological research.
• These probes have led to significant biological findings and clinical trial starting points.
• Chemical probes complement genetic targeting strategies and yield novel insights.