Functional library screening is a process of identifying small molecules or compounds from a library of chemical compounds that have a specific biological activity or function. This approach is commonly used in drug discovery and chemical biology research.
The basic principle of functional library screening is to use a biological assay or assay panel to screen a library of chemical compounds for a specific activity or function. The assay can be a cell-based assay, an enzyme assay, or any other type of assay that measures a specific biological activity or function.
The library of chemical compounds can be a diverse collection of small molecules, natural products, or synthetic compounds. The library can also be designed to contain compounds with specific structural features or properties that are expected to be relevant to the biological activity of interest.
Functional library screening can be performed using a variety of methods, including high-throughput screening (HTS), fragment-based screening, and virtual screening. HTS involves screening large numbers of compounds using automated methods, while fragment-based screening focuses on identifying smaller compounds that bind to a specific target. Virtual screening involves the use of computational methods to screen large databases of compounds to identify those that are likely to have a specific biological activity.
Overall, functional library screening is a powerful tool for discovering new compounds with specific biological activities or functions and can be used to accelerate drug discovery and chemical biology research.