SLAS Special Interest Groups
Interested in starting a new SIG?
Academic Drug Discovery
Sandra Nelson and Rathnam Chaguturu, Chairs
The mission of the Academic Drug Discovery SIG is to enable greater interaction between academia, pharmaceutical research companies, suppliers and other technical companies. Through a range of unique programs and events, the Academic Drug Discovery SIG will build bridges between the academic and applied sciences. These ties will result in better skilled candidates for industry as well as enhanced support for academic centers with programs focused on drug discovery, screening, automation and related disciplines.
ADMET
David Stresser, Chair
The mission of the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Toxicology SIG is to advance drug discovery and development by promoting the discussion and dissemination of principles, topics and ideas for the integration of higher throughput technologies with methods for determining toxicity, pharmacokinetics and metabolism. The goal is to accelerate the drug discovery pipeline and shorten the time of the development of new drugs that cure illnesses and improve quality of life. This special interest group creates a bridge and network between scientists working in the fields of preclinical research, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and those who are the producers of combinatorial libraries.
Automation Quality Control
John Thomas Bradshaw, Chair
The Automation Quality Control SIG provides a forum for discussion of topics relating to optimizing performances of laboratory instrumentation. The objective is to encourage development of procedures that should be of interest to instrument vendors and practitioners alike. Specific topics include:
- Developing best practices for assessing performance of liquid handlers, microplate readers and integrated systems with a view toward making it easier to compare instruments between vendors and to correlate results across platforms.
- Promoting the sharing of experiences and ideas on data formatting during acquisition and export. Techniques and strategies that ease the task of integrating new instrumentation into automated environments is of special interest.
Data and Image Analysis
Chip Allee, Chair
The Data Analysis and Management SIG is dedicated to sharing best practices, experiences and expertise, and to encouraging collaboration. The group will actively address issues in the area of information technology and strategies and foster discussions, information sharing and meetings among group members.
Drug Repurposing
Roger Bosse and Mathieu Arcand, Chairs
The SIG on Drug Repositioning is a broad-based BSS initiative allowing its members to proactively address the specific challenges pertaining to their respective fields of expertise (technical, operational, legal, etc.) in relation to needs and benefits of repurposing drugs.
Informatics
Jay Gill, Chair
The SLAS Informatics SIG is being developed to provide software developers an opportunity to better understand and influence the state of informatics in the laboratory. The focus of this SIG will be on systems architecture from the board to the user interface and thus will include topics such as hardware/software interfaces, data management, metadata management, asynchronous coding and operating systems, networking and "big data issues". We hope to involve developers from academics, industry and the vendor community, and look forward to partnering with other SIGs both inside and outside SLAS.
NEW! Labware Leachables
Lynn Rasmussen, Chair
You know what you added to your assay plate, but do you know what the plate added to your assay?
We tend to think of plastics as inert, but they are not. Plastics can bind components from the assay cocktail. This characteristic is exploited for assays like ELISA where the binding of proteins from the solution is required. It can also interfere with the assay if components that need to be in solution bind to the plastic labware. Another phenomena associated with plastic labware is the leaching of chemical entities from the labware into the liquid reagents dispensed to them. Unpolymerized monomers, mold release agents and plasticizers are some of the things that can leach out of the plastic and into your reagents and assays. Higher density plates, with a larger wetted surface area to liquid volume ratio, and new plastics like COC have increased the probability that the labware chemistry could be affecting the assay results.
Microplate Standards
Amer El-Hage and Michael Shanler, Chairs
The Microplate Standards SIG exists to recommend develop and maintain standards to facilitate automated processing of microplates on behalf of and for acceptance by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Once such standards are approved by the MSWG, they are presented to the BSS Executive Council for approval and submission to ANSI. Participation in this SLAS working group is open to all interested parties directly and materially affected by its activities, including nonmembers of SLAS.
Committee Operating Procedure
LinkedIn Subgroup
View Standard Documents
Published Standards
Previous Revisions
Previous Meeting Minutes
Published References
How to Reference Microplate Standards
Sample Management
Richard Kuo and Timothy Dawes, Chairs
The Sample Management SIG provides a forum for discussing sample library management issues in the modern drug-discovery high-throughput screening laboratory. Sample libraries include discrete compounds, defined compound mixtures, natural product extracts, and biologics (tissues, cells, DNA, RNA, and antibodies). Topics of critical importance include issues involved in:
- Sample Collection: Sample acquisition, structural diversity, physical storage, physical manipulation, sample purity and stability.
- Materials Management: Logistics, information technology, customer support, quality control and systems integration.
- Instrumentation and Laboratory Automation: Sample preparation, sample retrieval, screening set creation, non-scale technologies, and analytical methodologies.
Screen Design and Assay Technology
Kenda Evans, Chair
The goals of the Screen Design & Assay SIG are to: Share current best practices and experiences in the design of screens for high- and ultra high-throughput screening programs.
- Provide a platform to encourage an open discussion among group members of any new screening technologies that can be beneficial to the screening community.
- Encourage academic and industrial members to actively contribute to the SIG.
- Identify any gaps in reagent(s) and instrumentation and/or in the screening environment, and seek to influence the appropriate supplier(s).
- Evaluate new technologies and instruments on a voluntary basis and share findings at technology-based user group meetings on a more frequent basis.
NEW! Standards Initiatives
This session will showcase a number of current standards efforts that are in varying stages of developing lab automation standards. Each presentation will focus on the project's definition, approach, and scope, players and backers, current status, and future plans. If you are interested in participating, please contact Katie Woywod, SLAS Manager of Member Products & Services. The deadline for consideration is Friday, November 18th. Presentation slots are limited to a first-come, first served basis.
Stem Cells
Marcie Glicksman and Sitta Sittampalam, Chairs
The mission of the Stem Cells in Drug Discovery SIG is to promote the discussion and dissemination of information on new enabling technologies related to the use of stem cells and primary cells in drug discovery. We will discuss current developments in stem cell biology, human and mouse pluripotent stem cells, and reprogrammed stem cells. This group will function to create a bridge between the network of scientists working in the fields of regenerative medicine, stem cell biology, chemical biology and drug discovery.
NEW! Technology Transfer and CRO/CMO Project Management
Liming Shi, Chair
NEW! Women Professionals in Science and Technology
Robyn Rourick, Chair
The purpose of this group is to establish a collaborative forum for Women Professionals in Science and Technology to connect and create a diverse network for sharing experiences and tools for development and success.
How to Organize a New SIG
SLAS members interested in organizing a new SIG are invited to complete an SLAS Special Interest Group Charter Application and submit it to the SLAS Board of Directors for consideration and approval. The purpose of the application is to verify that the group has an established core of SLAS members that are interested in its formation and are willing to actively participate. The SIG Charter Application requires:
- Statement of purpose
- Justification for formation
- Detailed plans
- Proposed activities
- Chair and/or co-chairs who will serve as primary representative(s) of the SIG
- Minimum of 15 signatures from current SLAS members who pledge to participate and support the group's activities
Most SIGs host a meeting during the SLAS Annual Conference and Exhibition. Throughout the rest of the year, they may further agenda items via telephone, e-mail and dedicated forums on LinkedIn. In some cases, limited funding may be provided to support ideas and initiatives. SLAS Manager of Events and Education, Amy McGorry, is the SLAS staff liaison dedicated to assisting SIGs, and she encourages anybody with questions or ideas to contact her. Amy can be reached by e-mail at amcgorry@slas.org or by telephone at 877.990.7527 (or +1.630.256.7527) extension 101.
