Through matrix combination screening, NCATS aims to identify new drug combinations and to prioritize highly effective drug combinations for translation into clinical trials and novel therapeutic regimens for patients. Specific objectives include:
- Repositioning of approved and investigational drugs in the context of combination regimens for cancer treatment; Comparing the drug-combination landscape of 30 cancer cell line models (>8,000 combination per cell line) to generate predictive models of drug-drug interactions; and
- Integrating the small-molecule vulnerabilities uncovered via the matrix screening platform with genetic dependencies identified by RNA interference or CRISPR screening to identify the molecular determinants of specific drug-response “signatures;” and Integrating biologics (antibodies, recombinant proteins, etc.) into the matrix screening platform.