Researcher Resources Member Profiles Hong Cao, Ph.D.
Hong Cao, Ph.D.
Head, Small Molecule Screening Facility
Research Assistant Professor
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
LRB Room 860D
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
Phone: 508-856-8874
Fax: 508-856-6231
E-mail:
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Research Interests
Dr. Hong Cao is the head of the Small Molecule Screening Facility and has allowed UMMS scientists a unique opportunity to apply the tools and principles of chemistry to understand the processes of living cells. The screening facility assists researchers in developing high-throughput (HT) screening assays, performs HT screens of chemical libraries to identify new small molecules that can be used to probe biological processes of interest. The facility coordinates the screening efforts of UMMS researchers, providing access to diverse chemical libraries and state-of-the art instruments including robotic compound transfer, liquid-handling equipment, imagers and plate readers. The SMSF also offer a LOPAC screen for $1000 that offers researcher the ability to screen 1280 pharmacologically active compounds. This annotated collection of small molecule modulators and approved drugs impacts most cellular processes and covers all major drug target classes. The LOPAC screen is considered as a great pilot screen. The information from all screens performed at the facility is collected and stored in a central database. The Cheminformatics database allows researchers to rapidly evaluate and compare results of their screens and can also be used in the future to classify the function of lead structures and biological targets.