Web-based scientific data management system (SDMS) enables research organisations to capture, track and share diverse research data in a secure centralised data warehouse
Amartus announces release 1.4 of its TargetWatch SDMS, a web-based scientific data management system (SDMS) that enables research organisations to capture, track and share diverse research data in a secure centralised data warehouse.
Life science research has undergone dramatic work practice changes in recent time.
These changes were brought about by significant scientific advancements in techniques and tools available (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, pharmacogenomics) to identify biological entities (gene, proteins, DNA).
Scientists work with complex data sets in multiple formats generated from multiple heterogeneous systems.
Combining and analysing this data to extract meaningful relationships is a difficult task.
Information technology is helping scientists to translate large volumes of data into useful knowledge to cure disease.
As the number of tools to generate scientific data increases so too does the diversity of data formats being generated.
This makes it more important than ever for scientists to be able to bring data together in a meaningful way.
The Amartus TargetWatch SDMS helps researchers achieve this by providing a secure centralised location where research teams can capture and exchange data in a project centric manner whether they are in the same building or across the globe.
Using the TargetWatch SDMS, organisations can host any number of discreet project areas where research teams can share data.
TargetWatch SDMS is built on an open and scalable architecture and can be tailored to meet the needs of each discovery environment.
The core TargetWatch SDMS platform support a host of standard and optional features designed to assist researchers.
These features include the creation of secure hierarchical project structures, management of all file types (instrument, analysis, desktop etc), automated document management, electronic signatures for legal and regulator compliance and integrated access and tracking for key biomedical databases (PubMed, Omim, gene, protein etc).
TargetWatch can be accessed via a standard desktop web browser and has extensive security and traceability support to protect data.
Organisations which adopt TargetWatch remove the risk of loosing data and free valuable research time to concentrate on core activities, says Amartus.
"The latest release of TargetWatch sees the additions of key features to automate the review approval and distribution of key scientific documents such as SOPs and lab protocols" says Michael Kearns, CEO.
"The entire workflow is carried out online and users are alerted to their obligations through a personal task-list and e-mail alerts".
Amartus continues to work with customers to identify and add complementary features to the extensive list of capabilities.
The Applied Neurotherapeutics Research Group, a group of approximately 45 researchers at the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research at University College Dublin, Ireland, has been using TargetWatch since August 2004.
"TargetWatch allows us to safely store and manage large volumes of diverse data associated with the many separate yet complementary ongoing research projects within the Applied Neurotherapeutics research group.
"We no longer worry about data being scattered around the group's various computers, we now have a centralised system with the ability to have full control and traceability over all of our data", says Jennifer Craig, project manager for the group.
Amartus describes itself as a centre of excellence specialising in the development of enterprise knowledge management solutions for biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development organisations.
