Lead Optimization

Our Lead Optimization Services:

Potency Ranking 

Potency ranking is essential in the lead optimization phase of drug discovery for selecting and refining compounds with strong target engagement

CETSA measures how well a compound binds to its target in intact, biologically relevant cells, ensuring relevance to disease models. This helps establish a clear link between cellular target engagement and functional readouts, helping to establish a clear Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) and ensuring that potency improvements translate into biological effects

Key Benefits 

  • Biologically Relevant Potency Data – Measure target engagement in intact cells, ensuring potency rankings reflect real-world disease models. 
  • Stronger SAR Development – Establish a clear relationship between compound binding and functional biological effects. 
  • Reduced Late-Stage Attrition – Prioritize compounds with verified cellular target engagement to lower the risk of failures in later development stages. 

Selectivity Profiling

Selectivity Profiling allows researchers to assess compound binding across individual proteins and entire biological pathways, offering insights beyond the limitations of conventional target panels. Given that many drug candidates interact with multiple physiological targets, our approach helps reveal off-target effects that traditional screening methods often miss. 

Key Benefits 

Flexible Service Options – Choose between fully customized profiling or a faster, standardized service in lysate. 

Comprehensive Off-Target Detection – Unbiased, proteome-wide profiling reveals off-target interactions missed by conventional panels. 

Enhanced Drug Safety and Efficacy – Ensure selective binding to the correct targets, minimizing potential liabilities early in development. 

Target Deconvolution

This powerful approach allows for a comprehensive analysis of compound-target interactions in conditions that reflect actual cellular environments. Our methodology delivers key insights into target engagement, pathway modulation, and mechanistic action—empowering data-driven decision-making in phenotypic drug discovery tailored to your disease-relevant system. 

Key Benefits 

Minimized Off-Target Risks – Detect and reduce potential off-target effects early, improving the likelihood of therapeutic success. 

Unbiased Target Identification – Comprehensive, proteome-wide profiling captures direct and indirect interactions in a physiologically relevant context. 

Enhanced Mechanistic Insight – Clarify a compound’s mechanism of action, supporting informed decisions on candidate progression. 

​Mechanism of action

This data-driven approach enables a comprehensive understanding of compound-target interactions in a physiologically relevant context. Our methodology helps validate MoA hypotheses, refine drug candidates, and accelerate decision-making throughout preclinical and clinical development. 

Key Benefits 

Accelerated Candidate Validation – Make faster, data-driven decisions during preclinical and clinical development. 

Precise Mechanistic Insight – Distinguish between primary target engagement and downstream effects for greater confidence in therapeutic relevance. 

Comprehensive Interaction Profiling – Gain a clear understanding of compound activity across the proteome in biologically relevant conditions. 

Translational studies

With Pelago Bioscience’s CETSA®-powered translational services, you can seamlessly extend your research from simplified systems to biologically relevant contexts. Our technology measures target engagement directly within cell lines, animal tissues, and human primary cells—providing a clear picture of how your compound performs in environments that better reflect real-world conditions. These insights help you make confident, evidence-based decisions, increasing the likelihood of clinical success and reducing the risks associated with trial failures. 

Key Benefits 

Streamlined Progression to Clinical Trials – Make informed, data-driven decisions that minimize costly trial failures and accelerate development timelines. 

Physiologically Relevant Validation – Confirm target engagement across cell lines, animal tissues, and human-derived systems for reliable translational insights. 

Reduced Development Risk—Validating efficacy in complex biological environments Strengthens confidence in your compound’s clinical potential. 

"Pelago Bioscience offers exceptional technical expertise in all aspects of target deconvolution using CETSA – including study design, sample preparation, LC-MS data acquisition, and statistical processing. Our collaboration always proceeded effectively due to Pelago Bioscience's responsiveness, scientific commitment, and dedication to clients resulting in delivery of impactful scientific results."

Benjamin Fontaine, Senior Scientist

LifeMine Therapeutics

"Using our world leading expertise in CETSA we have created a faster and more efficient drug discovery process. We take great pride in knowing our customers are bringing new medicines to market more quickly thanks to our help."

Michael Dabrowski, CEO and Co-founder

Pelago Bioscience

"Chemoproteomics is like taking a watch to pieces and counting the cogs – it doesn't tell you which cogs drive which process and how the wider system works. This is why using CETSA can add so much value to your target identification studies."

Pär Nordlund, Professor and Inventor of CETSA

Karolinska Institute

"CETSA data is a keystone in our SAR analysis, and by assessing cellular target engagement of our compounds across multiple cell lines we gain confidence in our project prioritizations."

Peter Joyce, CEO and Co-Founder

Grey Wolf Therapeutics

"Our small molecule drug discovery project was seeking a robust assay allowing to screen against the target of interest expressed in its natural cellular environment. Pelago Bioscience's expertise in drug discovery projects, specifically in the CETSA platform and high throughput screens was the key to achieving our goals. We found Pelago's team to be professional, knowledgeable, flexible and dedicated. We highly recommend Pelago Bioscience for drug discovery projects."

Po-Shun Lee, Chief Medical Officer

Generian