Table 1.
Examples of tools and resources for supporting target validation and assessment efforts
| Tools/resources | Content/references | URL |
|---|---|---|
| The Cancer Genome Atlas | A database of various human tumour profiles based on DNA, RNA, protein expression levels and epigenetic factors165 | https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/ccg/research/structural-genomics/tcga |
| Chemicalprobes.org | A portal that focuses on providing accessible expert advice for how to find and use chemical probes for biomedical research and drug discovery151 | https://www.chemicalprobes.org/ |
| European Lead Factory | A collaborative public–private partnership aiming to deliver innovative drug discovery starting points (including the definition of detailed assay criteria and screening requirements)166,167 | https://www.europeanleadfactory.eu/ |
| EQIPD Quality System | A novel preclinical research quality system that can be applied in both the public and private sectors168 and which has been developed by the European Quality in Preclinical Data (EQIPD) consortium formed by 29 institutions across 8 different countries | https://quality-preclinical-data.eu/ |
| FAIRsharing | A curated, informative and educational resource on data and metadata standards, interrelated to databases and data policies61 | https://fairsharing.org/ |
| Genotype-Tissue Expression project | A project that is building a public resource for tissue-specific gene expression and regulation169 | https://www.gtexportal.org/home/ |
| GOT-IT Expert Platform | A platform that facilitates contacts between academic researchers and industry experts to foster new academia–industry collaborations | http://portal.braincommons.org/public/tools/gotit |
| GWAS Catalog | A curated collection of all published genome-wide association studies enabling investigations to identify causal variants, understand disease mechanisms and establish targets for novel therapies170 | https://www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas/home |
| The Human Protein Atlas | An open-access resource with the aim to map all of the human proteins in cells, tissues and organs171 | https://www.proteinatlas.org/ |
| Mouse Genome Informatics | A collection of mouse mutations, related phenotypes and diseases172 | http://www.informatics.jax.org/ |
| Open Targets Platform | A platform that integrates data on phenotypes, co-localization and prioritization signatures for a given target in relation to a specific disease49 | targetvalidation.org |
| SGC (Chemical Probes) | A collaborative effort to provide a unique collection of probes with their associated data, control compounds and recommendations on their use163,164 | https://www.thesgc.org/chemical-probes |
| SPARK Global Initiative | An international network to promote exchange of expertise and to join forces to evaluate, enrich and advance projects focused on immediate unmet medical need173 | https://sparkglobal.io/ |
Further relevant drug target discovery platforms have been introduced and summarized, for example, by Paananen and Fortino174.