Text mining features in databases are an increasingly popular way to extract useful information that could otherwise remain hidden. A new resource has become available to allow researchers to search for particular chemical compounds in biomedical literature. This task is often confounded by multiple names for particular chemicals being used in publications.

Lots of helpful comments from people on my question about what to use as a good identifier of chemicals? I thought it might be useful to re-phrase what it was that I wanted because I think some of the comments, while important discussion points don’t really impinge directly on my current issue.

We are in the process of rolling out the LaBLog system to the new bioscience laboratory within ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Because this is a new lab we have a real opportunity to embed the system in the way we run the laboratory and the way we practise our science. One of the things we definitely want to do is to use it to maintain a catalogue of all our stocks of chemicals.