Alberta likes to do things big. Stampede country's latest
feat is the launch of the world's largest drug database:
DrugBank, a web-based search engine that puts reams of
medication information instantly at your fingertips. Simply
type a drug name in the search box and your mind will
be instantly boggled by an avalanche of info, from its
molecular structure to its contraindications.
"There is no other resource quite
like it," enthused the database's creator Dr David Wishart,
PhD, a University of Alberta professor of computing
and biological sciences. "With DrugBank you're never
more than a mouse-click away from finding an answer
— whether you're a patient, a pharmacist, a doctor
or a scientist."
Dr Wishart started the project
as a way to help his pharmacy students understand drugs
at a molecular level. At the time, the information was
all over the place — in textbooks, in smaller databases,
in journal articles. The database ended up taking his
team four years to complete.
One of the nicest things about
the site is how up-to-date the information is. "DrugBank
is the first database we're aware of that brings the
latest data from the Human Genome Project together with
detailed chemical information about drugs and drug products,"
said Dr Wishart.
DrugBank: http://redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca/drugbank/
HOPE
SPRINGS
Another freshly-launched U of A database is likewise
raising high hopes. Dr Denise Larsen, PhD, a professor
of educational psychology and director of the Hope Foundation,
created Hope-Lit to fill a gap in existing online searchable
sites. "Hope was simply not on the scientific research
radar," she explained. She and fellow researcher Dr
Wendy Edey had a eureka moment when they came across
a search engine on the net devoted to happiness. "We
thought, 'Wouldn't it be phenomenal to have all of the
hope literature contained in one source?'" recalled
Dr Larsen.
Since Hope-Lit went live, the foundation
has been inundated with inquiries about their research.
"This is some of the first research worldwide to look
at how hope can be intentionally used to impact therapeutic
effectiveness," said Dr Larsen. "Research now tells
us a great deal about just what hope is as well as its
incredible impact on human well-being. Higher hope is
virtually always related to better life outcomes."
Hope-Lit: www.hope-lit.ualberta.ca/Hope-LitDatabase.html
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