Extracting more value from data silos: using the semantic web to link chemistry and biology for innovation

Abstract

In order to maximize the chances of finding novel crop protection molecules, that are safe for humans and the environment, it is necessary to bring together biological and chemical information from both inside and outside of an organisation. The integrated use of biological data can help eliminate false positive molecular candidates and improve the chances of finding the correct candidates for development.

Information about the biological activity of compounds is captured in disparate systems within Syngenta and in the public domain. This research showed how highly curated bioactivity data from ChEMBL was linked to the Syngenta corporate chemical catalogue, along with other Syngenta research data and commercial patents indexes, using the Resource Description Framework (RDF).