“We’re able to achieve our centralized data repository needs with CDD Vault – without having to invest in infrastructure. We see CDD Vault as a huge value.”
Benjamin R. Taft, PhD, Executive Director, Chemistry, Via Nova Therapeutics
Situation
Via Nova Therapeutics deploys state-of-the-art drug discovery modalities to identify novel, first-in-class antivirals for the individual infections it studies. These modalities include phenotypic screening in infected cultured cells, biochemical screening in vitro on virus-encoded enzymatic targets and structure-based drug design, as well as combinations of the above approaches. Where appropriate, the company also targets host factors essential for viral infection.
The application of these approaches has generated specific antiviral programs targeting influenza, rhinovirus, BK virus, and adenovirus.
As a recently launched startup with funding from Aditum Bio, Via Nova prides itself in its tightly focused lean operations and making efficient use of a dispersed workforce including contract research organisations.
Initially, the company uploaded spreadsheets into a shared repository, but soon outgrew this solution and required a secure
and robust central repository to support collaboration across the globe.
Solution
Via Nova Therapeutics deployed Collaborative Drug Discovery’s CDD Vault, the hosted drug discovery informatics platform that securely manages both internal and external biological and chemical data.
“Prior to CDD Vault, if someone would want to dive into the data, we would waste time trying to find the exact data sets we needed, recalls Benjamin R. Taft, PhD, Executive Director, Chemistry, at Via Nova Therapeutics. “CDD Vault really helps us get organized and have all of our data in one place where we consider it published and final, searchable, and sortable.”
CDD Vault: Highly Recommended
Via Nova Therapeutics immediately gravitated to CDD Vault – especially after checking in with colleagues at other companies that were using it.
“When we talked to others about CDD Vault they all had the same thing to say: It’s safe, secure, supports collaboration, and has great visualization tools,” Taft says. “People we spoke with said they liked the flexibility, and the ability to provide securely controlled granular access to CROs and other parties. Everyone also said CDD Vault represented a tremendous value. So it seemed like a no-brainer for us to give it a shot and evaluate it – and once we tried it we knew it was the solution we needed.”
Used by Biologists and Chemists
Via Nova biologists and chemists use CDD Vault to store data on small molecules of interest, along with related data.
“Both groups are equally using the Vault,” Taft says. “The chemists are registering all small molecule structures, and making sure they’re all updated and annotated, and that the new batches coming in are updated and annotated. Our biologists are uploading their data, and both the chemists and biologists are using the CDD Vault visualization tools.”
Benefits
Via Nova Therapeutics has found several benefits since adopting CDD Vault, including:
- Gaining “one true secure data repository”
- Supporting a globally dispersed workforce
- Facilitating collaboration
- Flexibility to upload rich data
- Integrated visualization tool
- Pricing that represents a “huge value”
- CDD is a great company to work with and “feels like a partnership” Gaining “One True Secure Data Repository” After trying to store and track data within its previous shared repository, Via Nova Therapeutics has a deep appreciation for the ease of use and precision of CDD Vault.“We’ve gained something mission critical from a business standpoint – having one true secure data repository,” Taft says. “All the new data we generate as a company gets uploaded into our CDD Vault. From there we can sort it, query the most important data really effectively and efficiently to find and then visualize it – if needed, with plots and graphics. And we can do this from wherever we have connectivity. I even look at data from my phone at times.”Taft says the value of one true, secure, data repository extends to enhancing productivity. “Some organizations might underestimate the value of one true source of data, but scientists are much more productive when they don’t have to constantly look for the final version of a file. The same goes for preparing for leadership meetings. With CDD Vault we always have our most current data immediately accessible, including when someone needs to take a deep dive into a particular data set.”