The Basic Research Informatics department at the Centre for Therapeutic Research is closely integrated into the drug discovery effort.
Data management is now central to drug discovery.
The 15-strong Informatics department at Merck Frosst keeps the data flowing, and helps researchers find the flecks of gold among the gravel. As well as providing tools and service to the researchers, the Informatics team increasingly participates in the discovery and development of specific products, working pro-actively to contribute to research in the Centre. This means that staff work at many different levels, from technical operation to development of new applications. Partnerships with external academic centres ensure that the team has access to the very best thinking in pharmaceutical informatics. A crucial role is the support of high-performance computing operations within the centre.