Integrating Data for Efficiency
Bayer Healthcare (www.bayer.com) developed a strategy for integrating data gathering and analysis, to make lead identification and optimization more efficient, according to Michael Haerter, Ph.D., principal research scientist.
"A tremendous amount of information is continuously generated by research and discovery efforts within pharmaceutical organizations. There are many disciplines involved in pharma R&D and, in the past, each often had its own database generated as a stand alone.
"This prevented efficient exchange of information among scientists since the databases were not integrated for everyone's use. Typically, a scientist needed to navigate through four to five different company databases, each of which had a different look and feel. Doing this risked losing or missing important data."
Dr. Haerter says that Bayer's breakthrough came by merging all corporate data from its former stand-alone databases into one data warehouse. "We decided to develop an integrated approach that would support our company's wide-ranging information technology needs. We collaborated with Lion Biosciences (www.lionbioscience.com) and Tripos (www.tripos.com) to produce an innovative approach called the PIx system.
"This client-server application allows our scientists to better integrate data retrieval, visualization, analysis, and workflow support tools. Also, this same application provides a chemically intelligent' spreadsheet as the focal point for data visualization and analysis."
Another improvement is availability of computing engines that can utilize retrieved data to find critical correlations among the pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, physicochemical, and other properties and chemical structures.
"This is a powerful tool for the de novo design of compounds," Dr. Haerter believes. An added advantage is our ability to link workflow and decision-support tools to facilitate information sharing and storage within our entire organization."
Currently, the company is utilizing the PIx system at its research and development sites in Germany and the U.S. LION Bioscience owns commercial rights to the product.