Small Molecule Microarrays

Small molecules that regulate biological processes serve as valuable tools in studies of the functions of biomolecules, especially proteins, as well as in the development of drugs. High-throughput screening (HTS) is an important component of efforts that target the discovery of bioactive molecules. Newly emerging platform of high-throughput screening technology is small molecule microarrays (SMMs). These arrays contain thousands of drug-like small molecules from parallel combinatorial synthesis and nature products. They enable the identification of new, and the screening of existing, lead molecules. They have already been successfully applied in important areas ranging from protein profiling to the discovery of therapeutic leads. Recent interesting developments towards improved immobilization strategies (such as in situ synthesis, non-in situ synthesis, etc.) and test methods ( fluorescence immunodetection, surface plasmon resonance imaging technology) together with applications in academia and industry are described herein. The microarrays prepared by chemical lithography are introduced, too. As a rapidly maturing technology, SMMs will play an important role in the development of Chinese traditional drugs.