Research in a hospital setting is ideal to support the vision of the National Institutes of Health to further translational research from bench to bedside and back to bench. As a community hospital, QMC is unique in that it harbors an engaged nucleus of academic researchers, academic nurses and academic physicians.

This positions the medical center to develop overarching collaborative programs that translate molecular targets into bioassays for drug screens, discover novel therapeutic approaches with subsequent testing in clinical trials and field-test novel diagnostic technology.

With the above in mind, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (Japan) and The Queen’s Medical Center (USA) have entered a research collaboration to establish the infrastructure and develop “The Hamamatsu-Queen’s High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Laboratory”. The HTS Laboratory enables biomedical researchers to identify specific modulators of molecular targets through high-throughput screening based on the Hamamatsu Functional Drug Screening System (FDSS7000EX) using a balanced and unique assemblage of available molecular libraries under the leadership of Dr. Clay Wakano. Dr. Wakano’s expertise in genetics, immunochemistry, ion channel function and screen development is complemented by medicinal drug development, made possible through the academic and industry expertise and leadership of Dr. Aaron Cullen.
The HTS Laboratory is building on existing collaborations as well as networking with the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, University of Hawaii Chemistry Department, University of Hawaii College of Pharmacy, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Guam, University of Ferrara and Johns Hopkins University.

The HTS Laboratory envisions to be part of and complement the drug discovery efforts undertaken at collaborating institutions by providing services that include target identification, target validation, assay development, assay optimization, high-throughput screening, hit confirmation, data mining, medicinal chemistry and biotechnology leadership development.

The HTS Laboratory will operate as a fee-for service facility with an industry perspective to accelerate drug discovery efforts at the lowest cost structure. ​