DISCONTOOLS launches new website
Brussels; 14 February 2018 – DISCONTOOLS, the open-access database identifying research gaps to improve the control and management of more than 50 infectious diseases in animals – has just launched a brand new website with updated info for a majority of the prioritised diseases.
An important resource for public and private funders of animal health research, DISCONTOOLS aims to help speed up the development of new DISease CONtrol TOOLS including diagnostics, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals to help reduce the occurrence and burden of animal diseases.
The new website includes a more user-friendly interface for the database, making retrieval of information both easier and more flexible. Customisable searches allow for a more in-depth review of the data available. Research bodies can select their topics of interest, compare the selected topics across diseases and then prioritise these diseases according to a range of criteria.
Starting out life as an EU FP7 project in 2009 for prioritising research gaps in animal health management, DISCONTOOLS received a new lease of life in 2014 with the financial support of a range of national funders in the EU. With disease information provided by global experts from academia, government bodies and the animal medicines industry, the project also contributes to the STAR-IDAZ International Research Consortium for Animal Health which coordinates research on the major infectious disease of livestock on a global level. The gaps identified through DISCONTOOLS now serve as a baseline on which the STAR-IDAZ IRC, along with public and private bodies can develop road maps and strategic research agendas.