European ScreeningPort will develop an HTS assay for small molecule screening.

European ScreeningPort entered into an agreement with Merck KGaA to aid in drug discovery for multiple sclerosis. The firm will establish a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay for a target implicated in the disease.

European ScreeningPort will evaluate a variety of biochemical and cellular assay formats. Ultimately, it is envisaged that an appropriate HTS assay will be developed that can be employed in a small molecule screening campaign to identify starting points for drug discovery.

European ScreeningPort is a public-private-partnership offering fee-for-service small molecule screening to academic institutions. It aims to provide a link in Europe between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry.

Its deal with Merck was inked as part of the New Drugs Fighting Neurological Diseases Consortium (NEU²). It also includes Bionamics, Evotec, and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The NEU² consortium focuses on the development of novel therapies against neurological diseases with a specific focus on multiple sclerosis. Efforts are coordinated by Bionamics, an independent project management company and founder of NEU².

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