“救回”陷入僵局的分子！藥明康德篩選平臺(tái)升級(jí)，按下分子發(fā)現(xiàn)加速鍵 | Bilingual

靶向蛋白降解（TPD）療法正憑借獨(dú)特的作用機(jī)制，叩開(kāi)“不可成藥”靶點(diǎn)的大門(mén)。然而，這類(lèi)新型分子的復(fù)雜結(jié)構(gòu)也面臨著現(xiàn)實(shí)的研發(fā)瓶頸。其中一項(xiàng)挑戰(zhàn)在于：由于分子量大、極性強(qiáng)，TPD分子在穿越細(xì)胞膜時(shí)頻頻受阻。

分子設(shè)計(jì)得再精巧，若無(wú)法進(jìn)入細(xì)胞，療效便無(wú)從談起。

在研發(fā)一款TPD分子時(shí)，一家公司因候選分子透膜性不足，導(dǎo)致降解效果遠(yuǎn)低于預(yù)期，項(xiàng)目一度陷入僵局。為提高分子透膜性能，他們尋求藥明康德協(xié)助。

藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)（WuXi Biology）團(tuán)隊(duì)接手后，通過(guò)系統(tǒng)分析分子結(jié)構(gòu)與靶點(diǎn)信息，迅速明確了分子設(shè)計(jì)優(yōu)化方向；接下來(lái)，如何高效篩選目標(biāo)分子成為新的關(guān)鍵挑戰(zhàn)。

TPD分子的早期發(fā)現(xiàn)離不開(kāi)對(duì)大量化合物的快速評(píng)估。在傳統(tǒng)流程中，分子需經(jīng)歷設(shè)計(jì)合成、分離純化，再進(jìn)入生物檢測(cè)體系，整個(gè)過(guò)程周期冗長(zhǎng)。為突破這一瓶頸，團(tuán)隊(duì)啟用了搭載D2B（Direct-to-Biology）能力的一體化篩選平臺(tái)，使高通量篩選得到的化合物無(wú)需“繞路”，即可直接進(jìn)入生物檢測(cè)流程。

僅一個(gè)月內(nèi)，團(tuán)隊(duì)就完成了約2000個(gè)分子的設(shè)計(jì)、合成與檢測(cè)。通過(guò)快速迭代篩選，項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)提出了新的化合物設(shè)計(jì)思路，改善了分子的透膜性能，推動(dòng)項(xiàng)目回到前進(jìn)軌道。

為這一過(guò)程按下加速鍵的，正是藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)的新一代高通量篩選平臺(tái)：HTS 2.0。

▲藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)HTS 2.0能力示意圖（圖片來(lái)源：藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)）

HTS“升級(jí)”，拓展化學(xué)空間

自誕生以來(lái)，高通量篩選（HTS）技術(shù)已經(jīng)成為早期藥物發(fā)現(xiàn)的核心技術(shù)。HTS改變了傳統(tǒng)低效的手工篩選模式，顯著提升了篩選速度與規(guī)模。藥明康德的HTS篩選平臺(tái)早年就已經(jīng)將自動(dòng)化系統(tǒng)引入該領(lǐng)域，集成了多種移液工作站，孵育平臺(tái)以及實(shí)驗(yàn)檢測(cè)手段，在1536微孔板上實(shí)現(xiàn)了多線(xiàn)程，全天候的自動(dòng)化藥物篩選，在提升篩選通量的同時(shí)，提供高質(zhì)量的篩選數(shù)據(jù)，讓大規(guī)模、系統(tǒng)性的苗頭化合物篩選成為現(xiàn)實(shí)。

早在2010年前，藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)便已布局HTS技術(shù)能力。十余年來(lái)，該平臺(tái)支持了數(shù)百個(gè)苗頭化合物的發(fā)現(xiàn)，覆蓋了蛋白酶、G蛋白偶聯(lián)受體（GPCR）、分子膠、轉(zhuǎn)錄因子等多種靶點(diǎn)與分子類(lèi)型。

近年來(lái)，隨著治療靶點(diǎn)與分子類(lèi)型不斷拓展，越來(lái)越復(fù)雜的作用機(jī)制對(duì)篩選體系提出更高要求。正是在這一背景下，藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)推出了升級(jí)版HTS 2.0。

在藥物篩選中，高質(zhì)量的化合物庫(kù)是苗頭化合物發(fā)現(xiàn)的起點(diǎn)。如同一座等待被探索的“化學(xué)礦山”，化合物庫(kù)的規(guī)模與多樣性直接影響發(fā)現(xiàn)成功的概率。

HTS 2.0平臺(tái)升級(jí)后，化合物庫(kù)已拓展至37萬(wàn)種小分子，新增約10萬(wàn)種。升級(jí)的價(jià)值不僅是簡(jiǎn)單的數(shù)量增長(zhǎng)，化合物骨架數(shù)量也提升了21%，顯著增加了化合物分子的多樣性。這意味著平臺(tái)能夠覆蓋更廣闊的化學(xué)空間，讓研究人員在項(xiàng)目早期更有機(jī)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)分子。

在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化合物庫(kù)之外，HTS 2.0平臺(tái)還支持圍繞特定靶點(diǎn)構(gòu)建定制化合物庫(kù)。這一能力在面對(duì)“難以成藥”靶點(diǎn)時(shí)尤為關(guān)鍵。在一項(xiàng)合作項(xiàng)目中，由于市售通用化合物庫(kù)難以滿(mǎn)足特殊靶點(diǎn)需求，藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)在兩個(gè)月內(nèi)完成了超過(guò)20萬(wàn)種化合物的設(shè)計(jì)、合成與篩選，顯著提升了苗頭化合物的發(fā)現(xiàn)概率。

從擴(kuò)展化學(xué)空間，到圍繞靶點(diǎn)快速構(gòu)建專(zhuān)屬分子庫(kù)，HTS 2.0平臺(tái)正在延伸早期藥物發(fā)現(xiàn)的探索邊界。

HTS 2.0如何重構(gòu)早期篩選

擁有豐富的化合物庫(kù)，邁出了藥物發(fā)現(xiàn)的第一步。能否從海量分子中快速識(shí)別出有效且可優(yōu)化的結(jié)構(gòu)，還取決于篩選體系的能力邊界。

HTS 2.0并非單一的技術(shù)平臺(tái)，而是將生物化學(xué)篩選、細(xì)胞篩選、親和質(zhì)譜篩選以及高內(nèi)涵篩選整合于同一套分子發(fā)現(xiàn)體系中：

• 生物化學(xué)篩選（Biochemical assay）直接檢測(cè)化合物與體外重組蛋白靶點(diǎn)的結(jié)合或活性調(diào)控，常用于激酶、蛋白酶等靶點(diǎn)的篩選，具有成本低，通量極高的特點(diǎn)；

• 基于細(xì)胞的功能篩選（Cell-based assay）在活細(xì)胞環(huán)境中檢測(cè)化合物對(duì)靶點(diǎn)相關(guān)功能的調(diào)節(jié)（如第二信使、報(bào)告基因），能反映化合物的膜通透性和相對(duì)生理?xiàng)l件下的活性；

• 親和質(zhì)譜篩選（ASMS）通過(guò)將化合物池（200~400個(gè)化合物混合在一個(gè)微孔內(nèi)）與靶蛋白孵育，利用質(zhì)譜檢測(cè)蛋白結(jié)合分子，其核心優(yōu)勢(shì)是無(wú)需標(biāo)記蛋白，并通過(guò)使用化合物池進(jìn)一步提高篩選通量、降低篩選成本；

• 高內(nèi)涵篩選（High-content screen）基于自動(dòng)化顯微成像和圖像分析，在細(xì)胞水平多參數(shù)檢測(cè)化合物對(duì)細(xì)胞形態(tài)、蛋白定位、細(xì)胞器等的影響，是一種最主要的表型篩選手段。

四種篩選能力既是不同篩選策略的入口，也可組成互補(bǔ)和遞進(jìn)的鏈條。HTS 2.0平臺(tái)致力于將不同篩選能力協(xié)同作用，為每一個(gè)客戶(hù)的篩選項(xiàng)目提供定制化的開(kāi)發(fā)策略，構(gòu)成了一條獨(dú)特的從海量分子庫(kù)到苗頭化合物的發(fā)現(xiàn)路徑。

D2B重新編寫(xiě)合成-生物測(cè)試路徑

發(fā)現(xiàn)苗頭化合物之后，傳統(tǒng)的優(yōu)化流程通常需經(jīng)歷多輪“設(shè)計(jì)-合成-測(cè)試”的迭代，每一輪周期往往以月計(jì)算。這一過(guò)程不僅漫長(zhǎng)，耗資不菲，更充滿(mǎn)了不確定性。比如TPD分子的優(yōu)化往往缺少理性設(shè)計(jì)，在傳統(tǒng)藥物結(jié)構(gòu)優(yōu)化流程中需要花費(fèi)大量的人力和物力。

面對(duì)這一挑戰(zhàn)，HTS 2.0平臺(tái)搭載的D2B能力成為關(guān)鍵引擎。D2B策略通過(guò)在微孔板中進(jìn)行納摩爾級(jí)的高通量化學(xué)反應(yīng)，跳過(guò)復(fù)雜的純化步驟，直接在微孔板中批量合成化合物并緊接著用于生物測(cè)試，由此，“設(shè)計(jì)-合成-測(cè)試”流程不再是割裂的多個(gè)階段，而是被整合為連續(xù)循環(huán)，打通了化合物合成與生物學(xué)測(cè)試之間的壁壘。

在HTS 2.0平臺(tái)，憑借數(shù)萬(wàn)種分子砌塊儲(chǔ)備以及數(shù)十種化學(xué)反應(yīng)的開(kāi)發(fā)，D2B策略能夠在三周內(nèi)完成超過(guò)3000個(gè)新TPD化合物的合成和檢測(cè)，幫助研究人員更快識(shí)別有效結(jié)構(gòu)，并迅速確定先導(dǎo)化合物的優(yōu)化方向。

自正式推出以來(lái)，結(jié)合了D2B能力的HTS 2.0平臺(tái)已經(jīng)助力多種TPD分子的篩選與優(yōu)化，加速了包括分子膠在內(nèi)的結(jié)構(gòu)優(yōu)化進(jìn)程。

不同于傳統(tǒng)小分子，分子膠通常不依賴(lài)明確的結(jié)合口袋，其作用機(jī)制復(fù)雜，缺乏成熟的理性設(shè)計(jì)路徑。

面對(duì)這一挑戰(zhàn)，團(tuán)隊(duì)在利用常規(guī)小分子化合物庫(kù)的同時(shí)，還設(shè)計(jì)了分子膠化合物庫(kù)。通過(guò)一體化篩選與D2B的聯(lián)用，HTS 2.0平臺(tái)能快速完成海量化合物的篩選與測(cè)試，助力挖掘苗頭化合物，緊接著在2-3周完成“設(shè)計(jì)-合成-測(cè)試”流程，加速將苗頭化合物發(fā)現(xiàn)推進(jìn)至先導(dǎo)化合物優(yōu)化階段。

目前，藥明康德生物學(xué)平臺(tái)團(tuán)隊(duì)已利用D2B方案賦能多個(gè)分子膠藥物的開(kāi)發(fā)。

如今，HTS 2.0平臺(tái)正幫助客戶(hù)將早期藥物發(fā)現(xiàn)中那些高度不確定的環(huán)節(jié)，變得更具可預(yù)期性、更高效。當(dāng)化合物庫(kù)覆蓋更廣闊的化學(xué)空間，當(dāng)合成與生物測(cè)試之間的壁壘被打通，藥物發(fā)現(xiàn)的早期階段有了一條清晰可循的加速路徑。

這正是藥明康德“讓天下沒(méi)有難做的藥，難治的病”這一愿景的生動(dòng)實(shí)踐。讓“難以成藥”靶點(diǎn)有機(jī)會(huì)被識(shí)別與攻克，讓復(fù)雜分子找到高效的優(yōu)化路徑，藥明康德正通過(guò)一體化賦能平臺(tái)，助力全球生物醫(yī)藥創(chuàng)新者探索更高效的新藥研發(fā)路徑，讓更多創(chuàng)新療法惠及患者。

▲欲了解WuXi Biology如何賦能藥物研發(fā)，請(qǐng)長(zhǎng)按掃描上方二維碼，與藥明康德生物學(xué)業(yè)務(wù)平臺(tái)聯(lián)系

How WuXi AppTec’s Upgraded Screening Platform Accelerates Molecular Discovery

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) therapies are opening new possibilities for previously challenging drug targets through distinct mechanisms of action. However, the structural complexity of these novel molecules also introduces practical development challenges. One key issue is that their ability to cross cell membranes is restricted by high molecular weight and strong polarity.

Even with sophisticated molecular design, insufficient cellular permeability may limit therapeutic potential.

During the development of a TPD candidate, one company experienced this exact problem: insufficient membrane permeability of the candidate led to degradation activity far below expectations and the project stalled. To improve membrane permeability, they sought assistance from WuXi AppTec.

After taking on the program, the WuXi Biology team at WuXi AppTec conducted a systematic analysis of molecular structures and target information and rapidly defined directions for molecular design optimization. The next critical challenge was how to efficiently screen target molecules.

Early discovery of TPD molecules relies on rapid evaluation of large numbers of compounds. In traditional workflows, compounds typically undergo design, synthesis, isolation, and purification before entering biological testing systems, resulting in lengthy development cycles.

To address this bottleneck, the team applied its integrated screening platform equipped with Direct-to-Biology (D2B) capabilities. In this system, compounds generated through high-throughput synthesis can proceed directly into biological testing workflows without intermediate isolation steps.

Within a single month, the team completed the design, synthesis, and testing of approximately 2,000 molecules. Through rapid iterative screening, the team identified new compound design strategies that improved membrane permeability and helped move the project forward.

Supporting this acceleration was HTS 2.0, a next-generation high-throughput screening platform developed by WuXi Biology.

Expanding Chemical Space Through HTS 2.0

Since its emergence, high-throughput screening (HTS) has become a cornerstone in early drug discovery. HTS transformed inefficient manual screening approaches and enabled large-scale, systematic identification of hits. WuXi AppTec’s HTS platform adopted automation systems early on, which has integrated multiple liquid-handling workstations, incubation platforms, and detection modalities to run multi-threaded, around-the-clock automated screening on 1536-well plates. This approach increases throughput while delivering high quality screening data, enabling large-scale, systematic hit discovery.

WuXi Biology established its HTS capabilities before 2010. Over the past decade, the platform has supported the discovery of hundreds of hits across multiple targets and molecular categories, including enzymes, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and molecular glues.

In recent years, the continued expansion of therapeutic targets and molecular modalities has placed increasing demands on screening systems. HTS 2.0 was developed in response to the evolving needs.

A high-quality compound library serves as the starting point for hit discovery. Its scale and diversity directly influence the probability of identifying promising molecules.

The upgraded HTS 2.0 platform includes a compound library containing 370,000 small molecules, representing an increase of approximately 100,000 compounds compared with the previous platform. The upgrade extends beyond numerical growth alone: the number of molecular scaffolds has increased by 21%, enabling broader coverage of chemical space and increasing the likelihood of identifying target molecules during early-stage discovery.

Beyond the standard compound libraries, HTS 2.0 also supports the construction of customized libraries tailored to specific targets. This capability is particularly important for challenging targets. In one collaborative project, commercially available general libraries could not adequately address the target requirements. The WuXi Biology team designed, synthesized, and screened over 200,000 compounds within two months, significantly improving the probability of hit discovery.

From expanding chemical space to rapidly constructing target-specific libraries, HTS 2.0 continues to extend the boundaries of early drug discovery.

How HTS 2.0 Enhances Early-Stage Screening

Building a diverse compound library is the first step in drug discovery. The ability to rapidly identify active and optimizable structures from a vast pool of molecules also depends on the capabilities of screening system.

HTS 2.0 is not a single technology platform. Instead, it integrates biochemical assays, cell-based assays, affinity selection mass spectrometry (ASMS), and high-content screening (HCS) into a unified molecular discovery system.

• Biochemical assays directly detect compound binding or activity modulation against in vitro recombinant protein targets, commonly used for kinases, proteases, and similar targets. They offer low cost and very high throughput.

• Cell-based assays measure compound modulation of target related functions in live cells (e.g., second messengers, reporter genes), reflecting membrane permeability and activity under more physiological conditions.

• ASMS incubates pools of compounds (200-400 compounds per well) with the target protein and uses mass spectrometry to detect binders. Its major advantages are label-free detection, increased throughput through pooled screening, and reduced cost.

• High-content screening (HCS) combines automated microscopy and image analysis to measure multi-parametric cellular responses, including morphology, protein localization, and organelle status, making it a primary phenotypic screening approach.

These four screening capabilities serve both as distinct entry points and as complementary, progressive steps. HTS 2.0 orchestrates their synergy and provides bespoke development strategies for each client project, forming a unique discovery pathway from vast compound libraries to hits.

D2B: Bridging Synthesis and Biological Testing

After hit identification, conventional optimization typically involves multiple “design-synthesis-test” iterations, each often taking months. This process is time consuming, costly, and uncertain. TPD optimization, for example, frequently lacks rational design principles and demands extensive resources.

The D2B capability embedded in HTS 2.0 is a key engine driving drug development. D2B performs nanomolar-scale high-throughput chemistry directly in microplates, skipping complex purification steps and immediately using the crude reaction mixtures in biological assays. Thus, the “design-synthesis-test” cycle becomes an integrated, continuous loop that breaks down the barrier between synthesis and biological evaluation.

Leveraging a repository of tens of thousands of building blocks and dozens of developed reaction types, the D2B strategy on HTS 2.0 can synthesize and test over 3,000 new TPD compounds within three weeks, helping researchers rapidly identify active chemotypes and define lead optimization directions.

Since its launch, the HTS 2.0 platform combined with D2B capabilities has supported the screening and optimization of multiple complex molecular modalities. A typical application is the rational design of molecular glues.

Unlike traditional small molecules, molecular glues generally do not rely on defined binding pockets; their mechanisms are complex and lack mature rational design routes.

To tackle this, the team created dedicated molecular glue libraries alongside conventional small molecule collections. By combining integrated screening and D2B, HTS 2.0 can rapidly screen and test huge numbers of compounds, identify hits, and then complete a “design-synthesis-test” cycle within two to three weeks, accelerating progression from hit discovery to lead optimization.

To date, WuXi Biology has applied D2B solutions to enable the development of multiple molecular glue programs.

Today, the HTS 2.0 platform is helping customers improve efficiency and decision-making during early-stage drug discovery. As compound libraries expand into broader chemical space and barriers between synthesis and biological testing are reduced, early-stage drug discovery gains a clearer and more efficient development pathway.

This reflects WuXi AppTec's vision: "Every drug can be made, and every disease can be treated." Through its integrated enabling platform, WuXi AppTec continues to support global biopharmaceutical innovators in exploring more efficient approaches, and bringing new therapies to patients worldwide.

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