Debiopharm Implements Dotmatics to Improve Data-Driven Decision-Making

Debiopharm International SA, the drug development company focused on oncology and infectious diseases, has implemented tools from Dotmatics, a leading provider of scientific informatics solutions and services, to re-engineer its data management processes to support its continuous growth. Debiopharm is using a range of Dotmatics products, including Browser (Enterprise Search), Register, Studies Notebook (ELN), Cascade, Inventory and Vortex (Visualization and Scientific Data Analytics) to help researchers collaborate effectively and boost productivity innovation.

“Important research data was being stored in all sorts of places, including notebooks, PowerPoint presentations, and Word files on personal laptops, so only a few people could access it,” said René Van Den Bersselaar, Global Head IT and CIO at Debiopharm. “There was no cohesion between the API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) database, the project database, or the reactions database. On top of that, data was coming in from a host of external CROs in a variety of different formats so we were having to do a lot of time-consuming manual data entry and data transfer work ourselves. We realized that what was needed was a single way to find and access data across the organization so we could really understand what was happening.”

In early 2018, Debiopharm reviewed its requirements and opted for a central platform for all research data; it decided to partner with Dotmatics, due to its unparalleled informatics expertise. Dotmatics’s tools provide researchers with the capabilities to handle all non-clinical experimental data on a single computer screen as well as offering advanced search and analytics functions. As a result, Debiopharm’s R&D function saw:

• A significant increase in data quality and integrity
• Increased ability for users to collaborate across research sites
• Increased researcher efficiency by generating more time for analysis instead of data gathering

“Dotmatics has truly disrupted the way the company works for the better,” added Van Den Bersselaar. “As soon as people saw how useful it can be to share everything in one place and how much more efficient our processes are as a result, everyone got on board with Dotmatics. All our data is now available and accessible at all times; we’re no longer dependent on individuals remembering where they’ve saved some piece of important information. The impact has been felt throughout the company with the board recognizing the achievement, giving us the Shapers Award for the impact it’s had on R&D productivity. But more than that, Dotmatics has helped change the mind set in the company; we’re now making better, more data-driven decisions, helping us be more competitive and allowing us to get new therapies to patients faster.”

“Today productive research increasingly depends on effective collaboration,” said Rob Brown, VP at Dotmatics. “As such, it’s critical for employees to move away from thinking about ‘my work’ and ‘my data’ to seeing it as company data to which everyone contributes. Debiopharm had already generated so much useful data, but putting it into a central repository has helped unlock much additional value.”