Indian Software To Help Cancer Research

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New Delhi: In a repeat of the Indian software success story, an indigenously developed laboratory information managment software is helping the global research community in drug discovery and development.

The software has been adopted by biotechnology companies and research and development (R&D) institutes in developed countries like US and Canada and helping them in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies.

The software, Biotracker has been developed by Ocimum Biosolutions. The software has recently been licensed to Arius Research Inc of Canada, to enhance the latter’s state-of-the-art cancer research facilities in Toronto.

Ocimum Biosolutions is a life sciences contract R&D company that provides contract research services and bioinformatics tools and services in the area of genomics, proteomics and laboratory information management system (LIMS).

According to Ocimum Biosolutions CEO Anuradha Acharya, “the software has also been deployed at University of Toronto HIV centre, National Research Council of Canada, University of Alabama, Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, among others. We are now expecting to see some clients in Japan and Africa soon.” In an attempt to tap overseas markets, the company is now creating multiple marketing channels in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Arius Research is a biotechnology company focused on cancer therapy through the discovery and development of novel anticancer monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). It has built a proprietary technology platform, FunctionFIRST that rapidly identifies powerful MAbs targeting a variety of cancer indications. Arius is working on the delivery of a personalised therapy by matching multiple antibodies to the distinct antigenic characteristics of each patient’s tumour cells thereby increasing efficacy and avoiding side effects.

Ms Acharya said, “Arius has taken the step of implementing a LIMS to manage the volume and complexity of data generated during drug development. Biotracker LIMS was selected for its flexibility, feature rich components, and ability to integrate numerous complex data systems.”

She also said that Biotracker enables life sciences labs to keep an accurate track of samples, reagents, instruments, processes and output from the time these samples or resources are acquired, right through to the final stage of research.

The software is based on guidelines set forth by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).