Fragment-based screening is becoming an increasingly effective tool for drug discovery, and is the basis of the Horizon Europe project, Fragment-Screen, coordinated by Instruct-ERIC.
A team from project partner Goethe University recently conducted a fragment screening study on SARS-CoV-2 ligand fragment libraries. They compared two libraries, to identify how efficiently these fragments could bind to target RNA residues.
The results indicate that of the hundreds of fragments in both libraries, many can be bound with high affinity to target RNAs, through NMR experimentation. To take the next step in this study, and to further explore the potential of fragment screening methodologies, the Fragment-Screen project is actively developing new tools and mechanisms for advancing fragment-based drug discovery.
Find out more about the Fragment-Screen project here.