Aug 15, 2005 | From a pharmacovigilance online signal management system to a new visualization shorthand for protein domain representation, from a portal technology for clinical trials to an automated DNA sample management system, the quality and breadth of the 2005 Best Practices competition surpassed all expectations.
Each year, the Best Practices awards program spotlights examples of the most outstanding innovations, technologies, and practices in the drug discovery pipeline, recognizing novel strategies and trends that have made, or are poised to make, a difference in the arduous process of drug development.
This year’s competition received a total of 33 entries of outstanding quality. The entrants ranged from big pharmas such as GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer to leading academic medical centers such as the British Columbia Cancer Research Center and Massachusetts General Hospital, showcasing powerful technology from the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics, Affymetrix, EMC Documentum, Spotfire, and many more.
Due Process
The competition began late last year, when we invited organizations from academia and industry to submit written accounts of their Best Practices. We first grouped the 33 entries into six categories: Knowledge Management, IT Infrastructure, Computational Biology and Informatics, Business Strategies, Discovery and Basic Research, and Clinical Trials and Research.
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this year's judges. | |
We next assembled a formidable panel of expert judges to review the entries and independently evaluate each submission. The judges considered several criteria including the level of innovation, the demonstration of ROI, and the potential impact of the practice across the industry. (All entrants will receive an unpublished compendium of the complete Best Practices entries, which provides valuable peer-to-peer information.)
In addition to naming winners in six categories (see Best Practices 2005 Winners box), the editors also elected to present two discretionary Editors’ Choice awards -- outstanding submissions that, in consultation with the judges, merited recognition in their own right.
The 2005 Best Practices program was made possible with the help of the following corporate underwriters, to whom we extend our appreciation: IBM, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Atipa Technologies, ClinPhone, etrials, Integrated Clinical Systems, Medidata Solutions, Target Health, and TurboWorx.