Panel of experts will add commentary and analysis to data.
Current BioData will launch the Targeted Proteins database to help scientists involved in drug discovery and R&D get a handle on the immense proteomic data available.

“Drug researchers have told us that with the explosion in the amount of data published on protein systems in the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for them to identify and act on the information that’ s really crucial from the drug industry’s perspective,” explains out Ian Tarr, CEO of Current BioData. “There is a clear need to collect, analyze, and critically evaluate this mass of information so that it can then be used in a way that enhances R&D efficiency as opposed to positively hindering it, as is often the case today.”

Built in co-operation with the founders of Swiss-Prot, the Targeted Proteins database focuses on protein systems targeted at prospective clients in the pharma and biotech industries and will be updated daily. It identifies proteins or protein systems implicated in disease and provides target assessments that represent that system from a drug researcher’s perspective.

“It’s a very editorially intensive process,” explains Tarr, “so we’ve been creating international virtual faculties of experts in each of the targeted fields that we’re covering. The pharmaceutical industry expects high quality, high value information, so it’s important that we use the best people to provide the commentary and analysis.

“We will be using a range of advanced information harvesting, text-mining, and analysis techniques to gather relevant data. But techniques such as text-mining are in themselves not enough,” Tarr cautions. “We then have to evaluate the results in conjunction with external experts so that we can deliver opinions and conclusions, not just data to our clients. The facilities we’re building to do this will allow our clients to act on the results quickly and efficiently.”

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