Overview
This case study outlines Excelra’s approach to compiling a structured data curation initiative for MDM2 inhibitors using published scientific literature. The focus was to identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers across preclinical and clinical stages, aiding biomarker discovery for specific cancer indications. The solution emphasized structured extraction, interpretation, and reporting through Excelra’s domain-driven bioinformatics solutions, supporting clinical data analysis and translational research.
Our client
A pharmaceutical company based in the EU, active in antiviral development, approached Excelra to expand its pipeline by exploring the landscape of MDM2 inhibitors in oncology. Their goal was to gather a complete list of compounds and associated pharmacodynamic biomarkers across multiple solid tumor types using scalable bioinformatics solutions and advanced data curation techniques.
Client’s challenge
The client needed a structured dataset capturing all relevant MDM2 inhibitor compounds across four major solid tumor indications: prostate, lung, breast, and melanoma in the liver. Their key challenges included:
- Locating high-quality clinical data analysis from published scientific literature.
- Identifying PD biomarkers, excluding liquid tumors and sarcomas.
- Developing a comprehensive lexicon of MDM2 compounds and synonyms.
- Extracting relevant biomarker discovery information efficiently.
- These requirements demanded a scalable, domain-specific bioinformatics pipeline and a reliable data curation process.
Client’s goals
- Curate published literature to identify both clinical and preclinical PD biomarkers.
- Build a searchable and structured dataset that supports biomarker discovery across tumor types.
- Enable oncology teams to assess compound-translatability across preclinical and clinical stages.
- Deliver structured outputs using Excelra’s proprietary data curation methodology and clinical data services infrastructure.
Our approach
Excelra applied a domain-specific data curation pipeline with a focus on clinical data analysis, driven by these key steps:
Article Identification & Shortlisting
Scientific literature from multiple sources was mined to capture mentions of MDM2 inhibitors and PD biomarkers.
Lexicon Development
Created controlled vocabularies and synonyms for drug names, biomarker discovery terms, and therapeutic areas.
Concept Extraction
Extracted relevant data points, including:
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- PD biomarkers
- Pre-clinical and clinical model relevance
- Translatability
- Tumor-specific compound associations
Data Structuring & Analysis
All findings were structured into Excel and PowerPoint formats using our in-house bioinformatics solutions tools.
Conclusion
- Excelra delivered a comprehensive data compendium of PD biomarkers related to MDM2 inhibitors that met the client’s objectives. The curated dataset enabled:
- Streamlined clinical data analysis and reporting
- Enhanced biomarker discovery for multiple tumor types
- A structured dataset ready for internal research and translational evaluation
- Strategic use of Excelra’s proprietary data curation and bioinformatics pipeline workflows
- This project reinforced Excelra’s strength in combining deep oncology domain expertise with scalable bioinformatics solutions to support drug discovery, particularly in the area of MDM2 inhibitor research.
