Open PHACTS: A Data Platform for Drug Discovery
Mar 31, 2014 5044 views 
Data variety is a key challenge of big data. This is particularly evident in the drug discovery arena where data not only stems from multiple sources but also is of multiple heterogenous types (e.g. data about pathways, proteins, chemicals, etc.). The Open PHACTS project (http://www.openphacts.org) project was established to provide cohesive and integrated access to diverse pharmacology data for both public research organizations and industry. The 29 partners of OpenPHACTS, including companies such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis, and Lilly, have together developed the Open PHACTS Discovery Platform and associated applications. In this talk, I present how we addressed key technical and social challenges in creating this data platform including business drivers, licensing, provenance, integration flexibility, and sustainability