🧪 Exploring Chemical Probes Together: A Hands-on Workshop on GPCRs and Ion Channels

A lively and interactive workshop brought together 22 early-career researchers — including Master’s students, PhD candidates, and Postdoctoral fellows — to explore how to critically assess the quality and usefulness of chemical probes targeting GPCRs and ion channels. Guided by six expert facilitators, participants worked in small groups to complete 26 in-depth probe reviews in a single day, using the Chemical Probes Portal as their reference point.

The event aimed to help participants understand the essential criteria for assessing chemical probes — including potency, selectivity, and in-cell activity — and to develop confidence in applying these principles through guided discussion and peer learning.

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Positive Feedback and Measurable Learning Gains

Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The workshop received an average satisfaction score of 90%, and over 85% of attendees reported leaving with a better understanding of chemical probe evaluation and feeling more comfortable applying these skills in their own research.

Many participants highlighted the collaborative and practical nature of the day as particularly valuable:

“Challenging but fun — never reviewed molecules this way.” “It was very enjoyable, and the group discussion was incredibly helpful.” “Fun to discuss with team members and consider multiple publications for each probe.”

Interestingly, about half of the attendees were already familiar with the Chemical Probes Portal, while the rest were new users — demonstrating that the event successfully engaged both experienced researchers and newcomers to open chemical biology resources.

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Building an Engaged, Informed Community

This event highlighted the importance of shared learning in chemical biology and demonstrated the continued impact of the Chemical Probes Portal as both a scientific resource and a training tool. The enthusiasm and collaboration shown by participants and experts alike underscore a growing community dedicated to rigorous, open, and reproducible science.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part — for your time, curiosity, and commitment to advancing the use of high-quality chemical probes across the research community.

🙏 Special thanks to the University of Oxford for generously hosting the event and supporting this collaborative learning initiative.

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