**We’re continuously expanding this page with key references — including all our publications and a curated selection of outstanding papers that are essential reading for scientists using chemical probes. **

List of Key References to Chemical Probes

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• Probing cancer with small-molecule tools—Progress and challenges by Müller S. et al Cancer Cell 2025
• The Chemical Probes Portal – 2024: update on this public resource to support best-practice selection and use of small molecules in biomedical research by Sanfelice D. et al Nucleic Acids Research 2025
• Which Small Molecule? Selecting Chemical Probes for Use in Cancer Research and Target Validation by Mader M.M. et al AACR Cancer Discov. 2023
• Expanding chemical probe space: quality criteria for covalent and degrader probes by Hartung I.V. et al J Med Chem 2023
• Target 2035 - an update on private sector contributions by Ackloo, S. et al. RSC Med Chem 2023
• Systematic literature review reveals suboptimal use of chemical probes in cell-based biomedical research by Munoz L. et al Nature Communications 2023
• A machine learning and live-cell imaging tool kit uncovers small molecules induced phospholipidosis by Hu H. et al Cell Chem Biol
• The Chemical Probes Portal: an expert review-based public resource to empower chemical probe assessment, selection and use by Antolin A.A. et al Nucleic Acids Research 2023
• The era of high-quality chemical probes by Licciardello M.P. and Workman P. RSC Medicinal Chemistry 2022
• Selectivity aspects of activity-based (chemical) probes by Heinzlmeir, S. and Muller, S. Drug Discov Today 2022
• Target 2035 - update on the quest for a probe for every protein by Muller S. et al RSC Med Chem 2022
• A conversation on using chemical probes to study protein function in cells and organisms (No authors listed) Nature Communications 2022
• Nuisance compounds in cellular assays by Dahlin J.L. et al Cell Chemical Biology 2021
• The Promise and Peril of Chemical Probe Negative Controls by Lee J. & Schapira M. ACS Chemical Biology 2021
• Systematic Chemogenetic Library Assembly by Canham S.M. et al Cell Chemical Biology 2020
• Public resources for chemical probes: the journey so far and the road ahead by Antolin A.A. et al Future Medicinal Chemistry 2019
• Objective, Quantitative, Data-Driven Assessment of Chemical Probes by Antolin A.A. et al Cell Chemical Biology 2018
• Choose and use your chemical probe wisely to explore cancer biology by Blagg J. & Workman P. Cancer Cell 2017
• Data gaps that limit the potential of preclinical research by Kleiman R.J. & Ehlers M.D. Science Translational Medicine 2016
• The promise and peril of chemical probes by Arrowsmith C. et al Nature Chemical Biology 2015
• Chemistry: Chemical con artists foil drug discovery by Baell J. & Walters M.A. Nature 2014
• Target validation using chemical probes by Bunnage M.E., Piatnitski E.L. & Jones L. Nature Chemical Biology 2013
• Determining target engagement in living systems by Simon G.M. et al Natural Chemical Biology 2013
• The Art of the Chemical Probe by Frye S.V. Nature Chemical Biology 2010
• Probing the probes: fitness factors for small molecule tools by Workman P. & Collins I. Chemistry & Biology 2010

Additional Readings

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Publications using data from The Chemical Probes Portal:

• canSAR: update to the cancer translational research and drug discovery knowledgebase by de Micco et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 2023
• canSAR: update to the cancer translational research and drug discovery knowledgebase by Mitsopoulos C et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 2021
• canSAR: update to the cancer translational research and drug discovery knowledgebase by Coker EA et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 2019