Technology may help at the clinical testing stage too, though it has been a bit slower to catch on. Virtual patient simulation software, like the Asthma PhysioLab program that showcased virtual patients Alan and Bill, can simulate patients, targets and therapies in order to predict experimental outcomes before companies commit major resources to lab research and clinical trials. Essentially, this software helps predict the effect particular compounds have on the human body.

Integrating Informatics

The chief challenge for CIOs is piecing together all those diverse technologies into a fully integrated drug discovery process. Given that hundreds of vendors are jumping on the bioinformatics bandwagon and there are very few standards, that is no small feat. "R&D chiefs and CIOs are looking at all of these immature technologies in a quickly evolving marketplace and are being forced to spend quickly," explains Craig Wheeler, vice president of Boston Consulting Group. "But it’s necessary to put it all together -- in silico [in the computer], in vitro [in test tubes] and in vivo [in life] -- to get any real value out of it."

In order to do that, they’ve had to call in the IT troops, which have long been isolated from the lab scientists. Whether as a part of a new informatics department or working hand in hand with research, the role of IT is becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry. Peter Loupos, Aventis’s vice president of drug innovation and approval information solutions, studied molecular biology and genetics as an undergraduate and IT as a graduate student. He now sits on the leadership team for drug discovery at Aventis and has watched the role of IT evolve.

Just five years ago, IS was a relatively isolated department responsible for providing infrastructure and operational support at Aventis. Today, the company’s far-flung research teams depend on sophisticated software and hardware to do their jobs. The early phases of drug development are often done in silico, Loupos notes. "Similarly, it is impossible to perform global clinical trials and prepare [Food and Drug Administration] submissions unless the process is implemented with an e-business philosophy. This means that as an organization we had to change our strategy, our focus and our skills," he adds.

The role of IT is now central to successful research and development at Aventis. "This visibility has moved the organization from the background to full partnership," Loupos says. Aventis now employs "a cross-functional team approach, bringing together the skill sets of scientists, informaticians and IS professionals to create new solutions to drug discovery."