1999 Winner: Industrial Research
Innovative Company Develops New Tools For Biological Data
In two short years, BioTools has grown from a University of Alberta-based start-up to a product-driven company that sells bioinformatics software and contractual services to the global research community. The company’s two products, PepTool and GeneTool, provide comprehensive desktop protein and DNA sequence analysis and annotation solutions that transform sequence data into useful knowledge.
The company is further distinguishing itself by being able to provide highly sophisticated methods for data mining and data manipulation that allow customers to access vital new databases of information within 24 hours of it being made publicly available.
Practical Applications
BioTools is also developing an innovative new technology called Magnetic Resonance Diagnostics (MRD). The MRD project involves the clinical application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and advanced computational tools such as pattern recognition, to the diagnosis and monitoring of disease and health. It also has potential applications in drug and toxicity testing. BioTools has entered into a contractual agreement with Varian, Inc., a world leader in NMR science and technology, to develop this revolutionary diagnostic tool. This prize will be used to hire a student to work on the MRD project.
