Launch of Pistoia Alliance Chemical Safety Library powered by new CAS platform facilitates information sharing between scientists to improve laboratory safety

New open access search platform simplifies access to critical crowd-sourced reaction hazard information to reduce repeat incidents    

COLUMBUS, Ohio and BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society specializing in scientific information solutions, and the Pistoia Alliance, a global non-profit that works to lower barriers to innovation in life science and healthcare R&D, today announced the launch of a new Pistoia Alliance Chemical Safety Library platform. This resource aims to mitigate the serious risks researchers working with potentially hazardous chemicals face due to unanticipated chemical reaction outcomes by enabling scientists to access and share hazardous reaction information drawn from real-life laboratory experiences. The new open access platform, developed and hosted by CAS, supports industry efforts to increase the safety of workers in the lab by facilitating data sharing across the global chemical enterprise. "We have a duty to ensure the health and safety of researchers dedicating their lives to delivering breakthrough innovations," said Carmen Nitsche, General Manager Cambridge Crystallography Data Centre and Chair, Chemical Safety Library Advisory Panel, "The Chemical Safety Library fulfils an important need and adds a key component to our safety toolbox."

The enhancement of this unique resource, originally launched by the Pistoia Alliance as a prototype in 2017, was made possible through a partnership between the Pistoia Alliance and CAS announced earlier this year. "CAS is committed to empowering researchers with the information they need to be successful in each phase of the innovation journey, and supporting laboratory safety is a crucial part of that," said CAS President Manuel Guzman. "We are proud to contribute our technology capabilities and expertise in scientific information management to develop and grow this critical resource that has tremendous potential to eliminate repeat incidents by making this critical information more widely and readily available." 

The new platform allows researchers from across academia, industry and government institutions to access chemical safety incident information and confidently submit new hazardous reaction data. R&D organizations can also integrate the full library content into their knowledge centers and internal laboratory safety workflows. Reaction incident information is reviewed by an advisory panel including experts from ACS, CAS and the Pistoia Alliance management, as well as Pistoia Alliance member companies and outside experts.

"By providing researchers access to real world incident data, the Chemical Safety Library will prevent avoidable laboratory accidents every day," noted Dr. Steve Arlington, President of the Pistoia Alliance. "I encourage researchers around the world to use this resource, make others aware of it and contribute to improving the safety of the chemical research community as a whole by sharing their experiences through the platform to protect others."

Please visit the new Chemical Safety Library platform and for more information, visit our about page.

About CAS
CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society specializing in scientific information solutions, partners with R&D organizations globally to provide actionable insights that help them plan, innovate, protect their innovations, and predict how new markets and opportunities will evolve. Scientists, patent professionals and business leaders rely on CAS solutions and services to advise discovery and strategy. With more than 110 years' experience, no one knows more about scientific information than CAS. For more information, please visit www.cas.org.  

About The Pistoia Alliance
The Pistoia Alliance is a global, not-for-profit members' organization made up of life science and healthcare companies, technology and service providers, publishers, and academic and patient groups working to lower barriers to innovation in R&D. It was conceived in 2007 and incorporated in 2009 by representatives of AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis and Pfizer who met at a conference in Pistoia, Italy. Its projects transform R&D through pre-competitive collaboration. It overcomes common R&D obstacles by identifying the root causes, developing standards and best practices, sharing pre-competitive data and knowledge, and implementing technology pilots. There are currently over 150 member companies; members collaborate on projects that generate significant value for the worldwide life sciences R&D community, using The Pistoia Alliance's proven framework for open innovation. For more information, please visit www.pistoiaalliance.org.   

CAS Media Contact:
Tina Tomeo
cas-pr@cas.org

The Pistoia Alliance Media Contact:
Tanya Randall
+44 7887 811332
tanya.randall@pistoiaalliance.org

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