Hit Identification

Our HIT SYNERGY Platform For Hit ID Uses Multiple Hit-Finding Technologies

The core of the Hit Identification (HI) process revolves around leveraging optimal hit-finding techniques for your target. This starts with an AI driven literature data extraction on the target to ensure we are aware of previous precedent for this target or closely related targets.

Based on this information and any proprietary data you provide, our expert teams can put together a strategy with the highest probability of delivering validated hits worth pursuing. Employing a spectrum of modern hit-finding methodologies, we tailor them to you budgetary requirements, with strategies that can either run concurrently or in isolation. Typically, our HI projects span a timeline of 2 to 6 months.

Our Expertise In Hit Identification Techniques:

Virtual Screening: Partner with Sygnature Discovery’s leading in silico structure-based drug design team. We’ll expedite hit identification, focusing on protein structure or known ligands.  We have consistently delivered hits against challenging protein classes using these technologies.

Medium or High-Throughput Screening: Utilise state-of-the-art screening platforms to uncover hit compounds, leveraging both commercial and proprietary libraries that are curated for Lead-Like Properties and rapid extrapolation in the commercial databases using Active Learning approaches.

Affinity Selection Mass Spectrometric Screening: Where little is known about the target protein and tools are not readily available to build assays, an Affinity-based screen can be a very effective way of identifying novel ligands. These can be used as “bait” in a bifunctional degrader approach or can be further characterised vs known substrate or protein interactions.

Fragment Screening: Our proprietary fragment library has been designed with a focus on diversity and sociability (related larger molecules available commercially). Our broad ranging biophysics screening capabilities and crystallography know-how, will propel your fragment-based hits to potent leads.

Knowledge-Based Design: Sygnature’s experienced medicinal and computational chemists have a track record of delivering unique, patent-worthy chemical leads based on pre-existing ligands.

All of these techniques are dependant on high quality reagents for success. Our protein sciences and cell biology experts are able to supply constructs and cell lines suitable for screening and supporting later optimisation.

The Importance Of Strategy:

In drug discovery, the difference between success and stagnation often hinges on strategy. Undertaking a comprehensive initial survey of your target’s entire hit-finding scope isn’t just recommended—it’s vital. By establishing a robust hit identification roadmap, optimisation periods are drastically reduced, amplifying the success trajectory of your candidate drug.

The Sygnature Promise:

With a robust legacy in drug discovery, Sygnature Discovery is more than just a service—it’s a partnership. Our expertise in tailoring hit-finding strategies is unparalleled, consistently leading to the identification of validated hits, and setting the stage for transformative hit-to-lead and lead optimisation ventures.