Current BioData Announces Development of the Targeted Proteins Database

Current BioData Ltd, a joint venture between Geneva Bioinformatics (GeneBio) SA. and the Science Navigation Group, has announced the forthcoming release of the Targeted Proteins database ("TPdb"), a resource designed to meet the needs of scientists and others involved in drug discovery, research and development.

A pre-release version of the database will be demonstrated publicly at the R&D Leaders Forum Autumn 2006 Meeting in Berlin, Germany.

Built in co-operation with the founders of Swiss-Prot, the Targeted Proteins database focuses on a selected number of protein systems that are of most interest to prospective clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

"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," said Ian Tarr, CEO of Current BioData.

"There is a clear need to collect, analyse and critically evaluate this mass of information so that it can than be used in a way that enhances R&D efficiency, as opposed to positively hindering it, as is often the case today," he added

To fulfil this need, the Targeted Proteins database identifies proteins or protein systems that are heavily implicated in disease and provides ‘target assessments’ that represent the concerning that system from a drug researcher’s perspective.

"It’s a very editorially intensive process, 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," Tarr stated.

Nobel laureate, Professor Aaron Ciechanover, one of the ‘virtual faculty’ members advising Current BioData, concurred: "I believe the novel approach being taken by the TPdb will help bring disparate research communities together, both academic and corporate, to ultimately improve understanding of basic mechanisms and consequently of pathogenesis of diseases with the aim of supporting rapid development of new therapies," he explained.

Commentating on the pharmaceutical industry’s need for timely information in a competitive research environment, Tarr noted that TPdb will be updated daily.

"We will be using a range of advanced information harvesting, text mining and analysis techniques to gather relevant data," he said.

"But techniques such as text mining are in themselves not enough. 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," he added.