C. elegans in high-throughput drug discovery

• Published in: Advanced drug delivery reviews Vol. 69-70; pp. 247 - 253
• Main Authors: O'Reilly, Linda P., Luke, Cliff J., Perlmutter, David H., Silverman, Gary A., Pak, Stephen C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.04.2014
• Subjects: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Drug Discovery - methods; Drug Discovery - trends; Drug target identification; High-throughput screening; High-Throughput Screening Assays - methods; High-Throughput Screening Assays - trends; Human disease models; Humans; Pharmaceuticals; Phenotypic analysis; Small molecules; Whole organism model; Drug target identification; High-throughput screening; Clozapine (PubChem CID: 2818); Small molecules; Whole organism model; Phenotypic analysis; Human disease models; Fluphenazine (PubChem CID: 3372); Nemadipine-A (PubChem CID: 2856102); Pharmaceuticals
• ISSN: 0169-409X; 1872-8294; 1872-8294
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2013.12.001

Caenorhabditis elegans has been proven to be a useful model organism for investigating molecular and cellular aspects of numerous human diseases. More recently, investigators have explored the use of this organism as a tool for drug discovery. Although earlier drug screens were labor-intensive and low in throughput, recent advances in high-throughput liquid workflows, imaging platforms and data analysis software have made C. elegans a viable option for automated high-throughput drug screens. This review will outline the evolution of C. elegans-based drug screening, discuss the inherent challenges of using C. elegans, and highlight recent technological advances that have paved the way for future drug screens. [Display omitted]