As the field of chemical genomics grows, many universities and other research institutions are establishing high-throughput screening (HTS) facilities for screening of small molecule libraries. The authors of this chapter are current and former staff members at the Harvard Medical School HTS facility, which was originally established as part of the Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology (ICCB). The ICCB screening facility was one of the first HTS facilities in academe. Over the years, its staff members have advised many colleagues at other institutions as they build their own HTS facilities.

Planning and Design of the Facility Workspace

Space planning is the first concern in the design of a screening facility. Adequate space is required for bench work, screening equipment, compound storage, staff office space, data analysis workstations, and IT infrastructure. An area of approximately 400 square feet is enough to accommodate a small office for facility staff as well as two to three plate readers or automated screening microscopes, several small liquid handling devices, freezer(s) for compound storage, and a tissue culture area.