Cellular Screening Center

Thermo Scientific Spinnaker Robotic Arm

Welcome to the Cellular Screening Center

High-throughput screening plays an important role in both the drug discovery process and in the understanding of disease mechanisms. By measuring the effect that small molecule compounds have on cellular function, we can quickly identify the compounds that have a desired effect and move these molecules forwards in the drug discovery process. 

The Cellular Screening Center (CSC) provides high throughput cell and non-cell based screening for researchers throughout the Chicago area. Both small molecules and siRNA libraries are offered for such screens.

Support from the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) and the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division enabled the creation of the CSC in 2006. The facility was established to provide state-of-the-art automation for drug discovery and disease mechanism elucidation in a cleanroom setting. Automation is present for all aspects of the screening process. The CSC has attracted a significant number of collaborations with area scientists in fields as diverse as cancer biology, diabetes and ophthalmology.

State-of-the-Art Cellular Screening Facility Enables Efficient Drug Discovery for Academic Labs

Editorial Article 

Real-Time, Automated Live-Cell Imaging Inside an Incubator

Live-cell imaging has become increasingly popular in recent years. It allows the observation of the cellular processes in real time. The observation of dynamic changes provides more insights into the processes of a cell, as compared to a snapshot provided by imaging studies of fixed cells. The Cellular Screening Center has 2 IncuCyte S3s from Essen BioScience. Watch the video at right to find out how it works. Contact Eugene Xu to start using the technology.