title: Real-Time Biological Annotation of Synthetic Compounds.
abstract: Organic chemists are able to synthesize molecules in greater number and chemical complexity than ever before. Yet, a majority of these compounds go untested in biological systems, and those that do are often tested long after the chemist can incorporate the results into synthetic planning. We propose the use of high-dimensional "multiplex" assays, which are capable of measuring thousands of cellular features in one experiment, to annotate rapidly and inexpensively the biological activities of newly synthesized compounds. This readily accessible and inexpensive "real-time" profiling method can be used in a prospective manner to facilitate, for example, the efficient construction of performance-diverse small-molecule libraries that are enriched in bioactives. Here, we demonstrate this concept by synthesizing ten triads of constitutionally isomeric compounds via complexity-generating photochemical and thermal rearrangements and measuring compound-induced changes in cellular morphology via an imaging-based "cell painting" assay. Our results indicate that real-time biological annotation can inform optimization efforts and library syntheses by illuminating trends relating to biological activity that would be difficult to predict if only chemical structure were considered. We anticipate that probe and drug discovery will benefit from the use of optimization efforts and libraries that implement this approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gerry
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Bruce K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Mathias J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wawer
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Shawn D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Verho
authors.forename: Sivaraman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dandapani
authors.forename: Bridget K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Clemons
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kevin I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Booker-Milburn
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Zarko V
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Boskovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
authors.forename: Stuart L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schreiber
mesh_terms: D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D007536:Isomerism; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D054852:Small Molecule Libraries