Introduction to the Open Targets Platform
Identification and prioritization of potential therapeutic drug targets is of key importance in the drug development process. The field of drug discovery is a very active research area in which new methods and techniques are constantly being developed. This leads to many different data types, such as pharmacogenetics, expression data, and pathway analysis, that can all contribute in their own way to the identification of potential drug targets. For researchers, it can be a complicated task to find and compare the available relevant data. The Open Targets Platform (OTP) is an application that can greatly help this effort.
The OTP integrates many publicly available datasets, such as Pubmed, GTEx, Reactome, and ChEMBL, to score target-disease associations and provides comprehensive annotations for drugs, diseases, and targets. This data can be explored in a web application that was developed with the aim of creating an optimal user experience. Tables, helpful visualizations, an interactive association heatmap, and easy navigation all aid this process. Additionally, all of the data in the Open Targets Platform can be retrieved and examined programmatically through a sophisticated GraphQL API. Thus, by using the Open Targets Platform, researchers can easily find and explore data that is relevant to their efforts in target discovery and indication expansion.
The Hyve’s Open Targets Platform instance
Even though the Open Targets Platform comes with many valuable components to identify and prioritize potential drug targets, there is always room for improvement. In our recent blog post, The Hyve examined the integration of cBioPortal data into the Open Targets Platform. We showed that cBioPortal data can be a valuable addition to the platform to tackle the current underrepresentation of cancer genomic data. We are excited to announce that we have launched our new Open Target Platform installation that contains this cBioPortal data!
Want your customized Open Targets Platform instance?
Among others, the addition of cBioPortal data shows the flexible nature of the Open Targets Platform. The platform is highly customizable and can be extended with new and relevant data sources. We can imagine that you have your own data that you would like to see added to the Open Targets Platform. In this case, we can set up your own private Open Targets Platform installation and extend it with your proprietary data, allowing you to utilize an enhanced version of the platform. This customization will enrich the already extensive wealth of information in the platform and provide you with tailored insights to drive your research forward.
Hopefully, this blog post has made you as excited about the Open Targets Platform's customizability as we are. The changes we have made to our installation are just some examples of what is possible. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. If you have any questions regarding the Open Targets Platform and the possibilities that it might bring to your research, feel free to contact us.
At The Hyve, we’re always looking for new features to maintain and extend our Open Targets Platform instance. So, if you want to learn about those, don’t forget to check out our website from time to time.
Open Targets