Structure Searches

In some technical domains, it becomes almost impossible to capture all relevant documents from usual keyword or classification based searches. One of the best examples is chemistry and pharmacology. The major bottleneck in searching chemical compounds lies in identification of all the synonyms of chemical names. Though, this problem can be overcome to some extent by performing registry number based searches. But chemical name and registry number is acceptable only when you are looking for known chemical compounds. Further, all patent documents do not describe the compounds they disclose, particularly if those compounds are novel and have not yet been indexed by CAS. Also, in lot of situations you need to identify the compounds which are newly synthesized or are similar/substructures to compounds of interest. This makes chemical structure searching an invaluable tool in the arsenal of competent searcher, especially for accessing the information contained in patent literature.

Chemical structure searching functionality is available on various search platforms and/or databases such as STN, MMS, Chemspider, Scifinder etc. Amongst these, the most widely used is STN platform. Through this search platform, one can gain access to various databases or database clusters such as Marpat, Registry, Caplus, Agricola, Rapra, Encompass and lot more.

Performing chemical structure searching on STN platform is quite expensive as it follows pay per use model. Therefore, highly experienced professionals are required to conduct such specialized searches. At Winsome IP, we have a dedicated team of experienced information specialists comprising chemistry doctorates and postgraduates who perform these specialized searches. Our team possesses thorough knowledge of database functionalities and is competent to provide precise definition (i.e. defining various chemical attributes etc.) to any chemical structure. We work closely and iteratively with you in order to develop efficient search strategies which are tailored to your needs and budget.

Over the years, we have gained ample experience in performing chemical structure searching. Some of the representative technology domains in which we have executed multiple projects are as provided below:

• Pharmaceutical/ Biotech related chemical scaffolds or molecules
• Specialty chemicals (such as polymeric adhesives, additives etc.)
• Semiconducting materials (electro fluorescent molecules)
• FMCG goods (chemical compositions)
• Chemicals used in textile manufacturing such as dyes
• Agriculture chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers etc.
• Oil & gas