DR. MARK WILKINSON, THE JAMES HOGG iCAPTURE CENTRE, PRESENTS PROGRESS OF IO INFORMATICS “SEMANTICS IN LIFE SCIENCE” WORKING GROUP

BERKELEY, CA - VANCOUVER, BC May 15, 2008 Dr. Mark Wilkinson of the James Hogg iCAPTURE centre will be presenting the progress of IO Informatics Semantics in Life Science Working Group at the upcoming Cambridge Healthtech Biomarker World Congress in Philadelphia (May 19-21, 2008). http://www.biomarkerworldcongress.com

The talk will highlight the major advances in applying semantic expertise to the challenges of life science informatics that has been realized as a result of the interaction of the group members.

“We, at iCAPTURE, have benefited greatly from being a member of the IOI Working group. The interaction with other leaders in this innovative arena has been a great way to exchange ideas, learn from other’s experiences and advance our own knowledge. With the exponential growth of scientific data due to advances in information-creating technologies it is vital that new ways be discovered and implemented to intelligently deal with the deluge of information. Semantic technology moves us out of the old model of storing data and accessing data to one where we can acquire, build, and apply knowledge. IO Informatics has applied semantics to do just that and hence delivers true value from scientific data,” said Mark Wilkinson.

The IO Informatics Working Group (www.io-informatics.com) was formed in July 2007 in order to identify and apply cutting edge semantic technology and methods to the critical challenge of life science date integration. It members are prominent researchers from both academic centers of excellence and industry including: Pat Hurban - Executive Director, Scientific Affairs at Cogenics, Inc. (Division of Clinical Data, Inc.), Alan Higgins – VP Preclinical Development at Viamet, Jonas Almeida - Professor of Bioinformatics at the Division of Quantitative Sciences of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ted Slater – Associate Director Knowledge Management Informatics – Indications and Pathways Center of Emphasis at Pfizer, Mark Wilkinson – Assistant Professor Medical Genetics & Bioinformatics at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Center, and Bruce McManus – Director of the James Hogg iCAPTURE Center.

Erich Gombocz, VP and CSO of IO, stated “We are grateful to Mark for presenting the Working Group to the attendees of this important industry conference. We have made great strides in recent months thanks to our work with Mark and the other members. Sharing these advancements in a public forum such as the CHI BioMarker World Congress is an essential part IOI’s contribution as a member of the scientific research community. The advances we have made based on our internal expertise, the working group and customer interactions have been incorporated into the latest version of the Sentient Environment for Life Science Integration. Implementations include: the direct use of RDF, OWL and N3 data sources, the intuitive “drag-to-knowledgebase” capability within the Sentient Knowledge Explorer, direct integration of local experimental data, public databases and web URIs. These will empower life science researchers with semantic tools that make use of multiple –omics and clinical sources to better understand the underlying biological functions in context”.

About IO Informatics
IO Informatics is at the forefront of a global revolution in software methods for data access and integration. IO Informatics’ Sentient suite of software products enables biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical and other life science researchers to structure and define complex data relationships, view these relationships, query them, and capitalize on them — all within a secure, compliant, auditable framework that helps organizations accumulate and leverage knowledge Core ”Knowledge Explorer” technology development occurred under NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP), Award # 70NANB2H3009. Founded in 2003, IO Informatics is headquartered in Berkeley, California.

Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI)
Founded in 1992, Cambridge Healthtech Institute (www.chicorporate.com) is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and niche service provider organizations. CHI’s integrated life science portfolio of products and services includes Cambridge Healthtech Institute Conferences, Pharmaceutical Strategy Series, Barnett International, Insight Pharma Reports, Marketing Services, Meeting Planners, and Cambridge Healthtech Media Group, which includes numerous eNewsletters, Bio-IT World magazine, as well as Lead Generation Programs.

back