AstraZeneca adds software from Dotmatics to virtual neuroscience group

Dotmatics is the latest of several software companies to win business from the virtual neuroscience unit at AstraZeneca ($AZN). AstraZeneca's decision to forge ahead in the risky neuroscience field with a skeleton crew after laying off about 1,800 employees in this area has been a boon for software companies. Partnerships float an R&D pipeline currently being managed by about 40 AstraZeneca workers without internal labs or infrastructure.

Bishop's Stortford, England-based Dotmatics said it will provide AZ's Neuroscience Innovative Medicines Unit (iMed) with a cloud-based informatics platform for managing research data. Cloud computing has been a big part of the online framework for the neuroscience iMed, which has previously snapped up web-based software from Assay Depot, Knode and ePharmaSolutions.

Dotmatics has been widely used in early drug research, providing scientists with applications for compound registration, biological screening and other tools such as an electronic lab notebook. As the company points out, London-based AstraZeneca's employees can use its cloud-based software from anywhere.

"We were seeking an enterprise data management solution that would be comprehensive and get us up and running from day one," said Dr. Mark Duggan, vice president of AZ's neuroscience iMed, in a statement. "Dotmatics platform gives us the ability to collaborate and share data easily, securely and in real time."

- here's the release
- and a link to GenomeWeb's article (sub. req.)