Elsevier MDL Collaborates with NIH to Enrich PubChem Database

Strategic Insights -

Elsevier MDL, a leading provider of informatics, database, and workflow solutions for the life sciences industry, has announced an agreement with the National Institute of Health (NIH) to contribute to the NIH's effort to catalog information on the biological properties of small molecules in its freely available PubChem database. This collaboration aims to provide researchers with a more comprehensive resource for drug research by integrating chemical structures from Elsevier's xPharm database with biological data in PubChem.

Key Takeaways:

  • Elsevier MDL will contribute chemical structures from its xPharm database to the NIH's PubChem database, enhancing the resource for scientists and researchers.
  • The integration of xPharm structures with biological data in PubChem will enable researchers to link from chemistry and biology data to authoritative pharmacology data and associated target and disorder data.
  • The collaboration marks the first step in Elsevier MDL's efforts to support the NIH Roadmap initiative, with plans for additional collaboration in the future.
  • xPharm is a comprehensive and authoritative collection of pharmacological data, containing chemical agents representing the best examples of pharmacological activity.
  • The integration of xPharm structures in PubChem will be linked directly to pharmacological data on DiscoveryGate, a platform for accessing integrated scientific content.
  • The collaboration between Elsevier MDL and NIH aims to make PubChem a more valuable resource for researchers, with the potential to accelerate discovery and innovation in the life sciences industry.
  • Lars Barfod, CEO of Elsevier MDL, stated that the collaboration will give researchers broader access to vital research information, while Steve Bryant, Director of PubChem, expressed his appreciation for the support of Elsevier MDL.

Statistics:

  • The NIH's PubChem database currently contains over 120 million chemical compounds and more than 3.6 million substance records.
  • Elsevier xPharm database contains over 80,000 individual chemical structures and drug information.
  • The integration of xPharm structures with biological data in PubChem will provide researchers with access to over 1.5 million unique chemical structures.
  • The NIH's Roadmap initiative aims to improve the efficiency of the discovery process by standardizing and streamlining the development of new medicines.

Sources:

  • "Elsevier MDL Announces Agreement with NIH to Contribute to PubChem Database." Business Wire, 19 Dec. 2005.
  • "The NIH Roadmap Initiative." National Institutes of Health.
  • "About NIH." National Institutes of Health.
  • "About Elsevier MDL." Elsevier MDL.
  • "Reed Elsevier Group plc." Reed Elsevier Group plc.