The evolution of library design: crafting smart compound collections for phenotypic screens

The (re)emergence of phenotypic drug discovery has been marked by a growing interest in screening campaigns that utilize phenotypic assays. The key objectives of phenotypic screens are different from those of target-based screens and can require alternate library-design strategies. Designing a library that is appropriate to the selected assay increases the likelihood of identifying better quality hits, which can reduce both timelines and overall cost of the drug-discovery process. Here, we provide an overview of small-molecule library design principles as applied to phenotypic screening.