New Volume from SLAS Discovery: Protocols in 3D Biology

Highlights include small molecule cytokine antagonists, a versatile ELISA for PPI inhibitor screening, next-generation CETSA platform, and advances in 3D cell culture.

Oak Brook, IL (March 26, 2026) – Volume 38 of SLAS Discovery includes one review, three original research articles, and the editorial of the recently published Special Issue, Protocols in 3D Biology: Technologies and Methodologies Reshaping 3D Cell Culture.

Review

• From Large to Small Cytokine Receptor Antagonists
  This review traces the evolution from biological drugs to small molecule cytokine antagonists, drawing on lessons from TNFα and IL-17 as key case studies. It looks ahead to emerging modalities, including extracellular degraders and oral peptides, that could unlock small molecule treatments for additional clinically validated cytokine targets, such as TSLP and TL1A.

Original Research

• An ELISA for Discovering Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitors: Blocking Lysinoalanine Crosslinking Between Subunits of the Spirochete Flagellar Hook as a Test Case
  This study introduces a versatile enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) platform for high-throughput screening of small molecule protein-protein interaction inhibitors. Screening ~700 compounds confirmed the action of a known inhibitor and uncovered two new candidates, honokiol and zafirlukast, demonstrating the assay's broad utility for drug discovery.

• Streamlining Cellular Thermal Shift Assay for Ultra-High Throughput Screening
  This article presents two key cellular thermal shift assay innovations: an isothermal 1536-well uHTS platform with controlled thermal ramp-up and luminescence detection, and a Gradient Peltier Device enabling full melt curve analysis in a single plate. Together, these innovations overcome longstanding limitations in throughput and data quality. Both methods showed strong correlation with a fluorescence polarization assay using the androgen receptor as a benchmark, validating their potential for identifying true drug-target binders at scale.

• MICRO-TAG Enzyme Complementation Enables Quantification of Cellular Drug-Target Engagement in Temperature Series
  MICRO-TAG is a fluorescence-based split-RNase S complementation method that quantifies drug-target engagement directly in cells across programmable temperature series, mirroring conventional thermal shift assays rather than relying on a single melting point. Demonstrated across MAPK1, KRAS, and UBE2N targets, the approach offers a sensitive, scalable alternative to acellular biophysical methods for early-stage drug discovery.

Special Issue

• Protocols in 3D Biology: Technologies and Methodologies Reshaping 3D Cell Culture
  Volume 38 features the editorial for the recently published Special Issue, Protocols in 3D Biology: Technologies and Methodologies Reshaping 3D Cell Culture, which showcases how systematic integration of bioprinting, bioreactors, automation, and AI-driven analysis is advancing 3D cell culture from experimental methodology to practical New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), spanning applications from patient-derived cancer organoids to skeletal muscle spheroids and barrier-tissue models. The collection underscores the field's momentum toward fully integrated, high-throughput platforms that offer human-relevant alternatives to traditional preclinical models.

All active SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology call for papers are available at: https://www.slas.org/publications/call-for-papers/

Access to this volume of SLAS Discovery is available at https://www.slas-discovery.org/issue/S2472-5552(25)X0009-5

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SLAS Discovery reports how scientists develop and use novel technologies and/or approaches to provide and characterize computational, chemical and biological tools to understand and treat human disease. The journal focuses on drug discovery sciences with a strong record of scientific rigor and impact, reporting on research that:

• Enables and improves target validation
• Shares and/or compares novel methods for medium- or high-throughput screening
• Evaluates current drug discovery technologies
• Provides novel research tools
• Incorporates research approaches that enhance depth of knowledge and drug discovery success

SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.

SLAS Discovery: Advancing the Science of Drug Discovery, 2024 Impact Factor 2.7. Editor-in-Chief Robert M. Campbell, Ph.D., Grove Biopharma, Inc., Chicago, IL (USA)

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