StudiesThe Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Bioinformatics The tremendous momentum generated by the genomics revolution has accelerated the pace of drug discovery. DNA and protein sequences are yielding an abundance of potential therapeutic targets resulting in an unprecedented amount of biological data. Consequently, the use of computational tools has become a necessity in order to store, organize and analyze this vast amount of information. Bioinformatics -- the science of organizing and analyzing complex biological data -- has proven indispensable for applying genomic technologies to drug discovery. The Science Advisory Board therefore polled 340 members of its members about their bioinformatics needs and expectations for their drug discovery research. A few of the major results from this study are cited below. Multiple sequence comparison and alignment is the most common type of data analysis performed by the study respondents. Regardless of the type of analysis performed, respondents note that they have the most difficulty with confusing command interfaces. Researchers would greatly like to expand the capabilities of their existing software programs by having bioinformatics suppliers institute better integration of multiple data sources (e.g., genomics, proteomics, expression, pathways, etc.) Respondents note that uptime would be the most significant improvement to their lab's bioinformatics hardware. "Uptime, which translates into reliability, availability and serviceability, has become a major focus of drug discovery labs because it enables them to efficiently process and analyze the vast amounts of data that they collect on a daily basis," maintains Dr. Tamara Zemlo, Director of Scientific & Medical Communications at The Science Advisory Board. The Science Advisory Board is an online panel of more than 12,100 scientists, physicians and other life science and medical professionals from 62 countries. By convening electronically, Science Advisory Board members participate in online studies to voice their opinions on issues that directly affect the evolution and development of new technologies and products. If you are interested in participating in studies on the tools and techniques of your profession, please register for our Research Panel at http://www.scienceboard.net/register, or contact Molly Scott, Membership Coordinator, for The Science Advisory Board at m.scott@scienceboard.net for membership information and study details. Your identity and personal information will be held in the strictest confidence, and you will receive compensation for any studies in which you choose to participate. [ View Current & Future Studies ] [ View Past Studies ] |
|
