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What Comes With an OpenHTS Subscription?
An OpenHTS Subscriber has access to all software downloads and all source code. The Subscriber is also free to invite as many Registered Users from their own institution as they desire. A Subscriber can distribute as many copies of software to Registered Users as they see fit without paying any per copy fees.
The OpenHTS library is large collection of Excel modules, database schemas and database stored procedures. This library has been developed over many years while in use at numerous Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies. It is highly refined and engineered to address specific processes that are common to most drug discovery labs. (Please be aware that everything listed below may not be available at one time or be exactly as described below and there may be many things available that are not listed here.)
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What does Excel 2007 have to offer?
The Ribbon is spectacular leap forward and provides an easy way to build a comprehensive user interface.
The biggest and most obvious change in Excel 2007 is the use of what Microsoft calls the Ribbon. This is a new style of navigating an Office application and does away with the commandbar techniques of toolbars and menus. The Ribbon is a fantastic leap forward and provides a much richer user experience. The Ribbon takes some getting used to but can be customized in a far more straight forward manner than commandbars. All Ribbon modifications are done in XML and can include a wide array of controls such as command buttons, combo boxes and toggle buttons.
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Compound and Plate Registration Pitfalls
Chemical library registration seems like a straightforward undertaking but it is full of hidden complications that require time-consuming intervention. When chemical inventories are obtained from multiple sources registration difficulties increase dramatically. This paper primarily covers the issues related to registering compound lists and the plates the compounds are assigned to.
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Stop Reinventing the Wheel and Experience the Power of Open Source
“Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.”
Open Source Initiative - http://www.opensource.org/
Despite the constant drum beat of the coming crises in health care costs, Drug Discovery Labs still embark on one IT odyssey after the other in search of an effective process automation and data analysis solution. This is almost always done in a vacuum at individual laboratories despite the fact that the vast majority of the technology and processes are essentially identical across the industry. Trade secrets are paramount in drug discovery but rarely serve any purpose outside of the specific chemistry and biology being pursued so there are no real barriers to collaborate on a community supported IT solution. There is a certain amount of IT consolidation that can be attributed to vendor supplied software packages but they have a tendency to become unwieldy, expensive, monolithic dinosaurs that lock laboratories into rigid processes that loose relevance over time. In light of these considerations, OpenHTS was launched to create a repository of flexible modules that can be easily configured and combined to reflect the subtle differences in processes across different laboratories.
The primary approach that OpenHTS uses to provide a highly flexible but robust platform is to take advantage of the enormous under-utilized investment that Microsoft has already made in Excel. Properly engineered VBA code leverages the substantial power of Excel with a fraction of the code that would be required for any other development environment. This minimization of code makes open source collaboration far more effective than with large cumbersome coding projects and VBA has a much lower barrier to entry for programmers then a highly formalized coding environment. This means that Scientists with an intimate knowledge of the processes can be the primary contributors to OpenHTS rather than career programmers with inadequate domain expertise. |
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HTS Database Design
There are several common stumbling blocks encountered when managing data for a small to medium sized screening program. An understanding of these technical challenges will help guide the adoption of a suitable data system that is correctly specified and appropriately priced.
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OpenHTS™ is a commercial open source software depository and user community built on a comprehensive collection of Microsoft Excel modules, database schemas and database stored procedures. OpenHTS software has been engineered and refined over many years for use in Life Science laboratories. Subscribers have access to the entire software library and are free to deploy unlimited copies within their organization. OpenHTS subscribers can integrate, configure, customize and support their own deployments or they can opt for turn-key solutions delivered and supported by CeuticalSoft. Academic and non-profit institutions with limited resources are encouraged to apply for sliding scale discounted OpenHTS subscriptions.