Database

Database

Current databases such as the Lipid Maps or Human Metabolome database  do provide
detailed information on target compounds such as molecular structure, exact mass,
PubChem or the Independent Chemical Identifier (InChI) etc. No information, however, is
available on the nature of the experimental determination of the compounds from
biological samples. A thorough literature search is essential for scientists in these cases –
a task that can be very challenging, additionally complicated by the rapidly growing
number of publications.
This challenge is easier accomplished for new scientific fields because of the limited
number of relevant papers. Imaging mass spectrometry is a relatively young discipline,
being an ideal test ground for a new database, which does not yet exist but is urgently
needed. This new field allows us to exhaustively cover the entire available literature and
develop a state-of-the-art database.
It is vital to implement an interface for automated searching and importation of citation
data based on the DOI (digital object identifier) system. The database should be rolled out
at first as an intranet version but should offer the flexibility to be adapted for web-based
use in the future.