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The latest version of the Vitic Intermediates database, chemical database and information management system, has been released by Lhasa Limited, a leading global supplier of knowledge based software and associated databases. Initiated in 2006, Vitic Intermediates is a cross industry data sharing consortium created and co-ordinated by Lhasa Limited, through the Vitic Nexus platform, supported by ten of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies (including AstraZeneca, Bayer HealthCare, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Hoffman-La Roche, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Novartis and Sanofi). Using the web-based user interface, Vitic Nexus enables to build comprehensive queries in order to search the database to find pertinent information for your studies. In addition to standard text comparison, queries can take into account structural features, enriching the search and providing the most relevant information for your project. Queries can be compared to the expertly curated Lhasa database, or your own database that you can creat using the schema editor and data entry functionality available in Vitic Nexus. Whether your industry is cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or you are in academia, Vitic Nexus enables you to: Evaluate the potential toxicity of existing or prospective chemicals through exploitation of large chemical libraries. Make decisions about which chemicals are likely to have ‘more favourable’ toxic profiles when you do not have all the experimental information you would like to have about the toxicity of each chemical. Carry out toxicity experiments on a large number of chemical candidates where you could save time and money by selecting those with the most favourable outlook. Capture internal toxicity data and knowledge and make this information available to your colleagues. Improve the properties of a chemical in the R&D pipeline by slightly redesigning its molecular structure. Act as a toxicology training or learning tool by using the extensive data in the expertly curated database. The mutagenic status of process intermediates is of paramount importance under the ICH M7 Guideline (Assessment and Control of DNA Reactive [Mutagenic] impurities in Pharmaceuticals to Limit Potential Carcinogenic Risk). The high quality Vitic Intermediates database provides real benefits to those participating members and to the wider scientific community. Many process intermediates are common across companies and sharing mutagenicity data on these compounds allows members to avoid duplicating costly and time consuming tests. In addition these proprietary compounds and their associated mutagenicity data allow for the improvement and validation of in silico toxicology prediction systems such as Derek Nexus and Sarah Nexus. Dr. Susanne Glowienke, Head of in silico and Impurity Safety at Novartis, said “The value of the Vitic Intermediates data sharing initiative can be seen particularly in the light of the ICH M7 guideline for DNA-reactive impurities. It offers a unique opportunity to exchange mutagenicity data which is not available in the public domain, thus contributing to the identification of mutagenic impurities and avoiding additional internal testing. The ability to perform substructure or similarity searches facilitates read across approaches and supports the required in silico analyses to identify potentially mutagenic impurities.” Lhasa Limited was founded on the basis of data and knowledge sharing. Building on its reputation as the eponymous ‘honest broker’, Lhasa Limited has continued to work on the basis of ‘Shared Knowledge, Shared Progress’ for more than 30 years. Vitic Intermediates is just one of the many successful consortia in which working with Lhasa makes a real difference to the research and development process of its members.