GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a world leading research-based pharmaceutical company with a powerful combination of skills and resources. GSK's mission is to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. Headquartered in the UK and with operations based in the US, the company is one of the industry leaders. GSK also has leadership in four major therapeutic areas - anti-infectives, central nervous system (CNS), respiratory and gastro-intestinal/metabolic. In addition, it is a leader in the important area of vaccines and has a growing portfolio of oncology products.

GSK’s International Bioinformatics Group seeks to enhance strategies for finding valid biochemical targets by providing the expertise and tools to discover, manipulate, analyze, and understand genetics and molecular biology data through the application of computer science and information technology principles.

GSK will provide the Pharma activity of SIMDAT with detailed information on the requirements for a distributed data access service based on federated SRS and other services required to build a Grid-based PSE for a large pharma organisation. GSK has several years of experience in using (non-federated) SRS for internal data integration purposes. Together with the involvement in myGrid and other bioinformatics activities GSK provides the pharma activity within SIMDAT with an excellent test ground to define requirements, to discuss scientific goals and to test software prototypes. One of the major goals of the SIMDAT pharma activity is to provide GSK with a Grid-based PSE that demonstrates the applicability of Grid technology for a global acting large pharma research organisation.

Glaxosmithkline R&D website