Scientific and Biomedical Computing Support
ICF International supports statistical, biological, and chemical analysis requirements
for clients. This includes computational science support, development and
integration of application systems, laboratory and experiment support services,
database and systems support, and statistical analysis and expert interpretation. ICF has significant experience working with toxicity metrics and measurements,
processing biological samples, and using computer modeling to investigate
treatments and compare results. ICF also supports converting data from paper
to electronic resources, assessing data quality and accuracy, and upgrading
legacy information systems to current technology.
ICF's scientists support molecular biology research using information technology.
ICF's computational scientists are dedicated to research in bioinformatics
analysis, methods, and associated software development to support client
research initiatives. ICF's research scientists review and refine treatments
and support the processes for testing and confirming drug usage for patients.
Throughout the research and development process, ICF provides information
to other researchers in both domestic and international laboratories. As
new treatments gain approval, ICF supports the dissemination of information
to healthcare professionals, at-risk populations, and other stakeholders.
ICF collaborates with clients on scientific research, health information
systems, and outreach that can enhance healthy living and improve public
wellness on both a national and international scale.
Selected Projects in Scientific and Biomedical Computing
National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Toxicology
Data Network
ICF provides health informatics support, specifically
scientific and biomedical computing, to the Specialized Information Services
(SIS) Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on the SIS
Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) project. TOXNET, part of NLM's Medical
Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (PubMed), is a group of databases
for maintaining, reviewing, and searching toxicology and environmental health-related
information. The goal of the TOXNET project is to enhance the availability
of health and biomedical information through SIS databases and Web sites,
hardware maintenance, systems management, server administration, security
reviews, information systems design and development, and programming assistance.
ICF has produced significant improvements in text retrieval, Web site interfaces,
and database applications through data standardization and Web page design
and maintenance. We also assist SIS in responding to information queries,
sponsoring publications, and supporting information requirements of other
federal agencies. ICF supports SIS in developing interactive retrieval services
in toxicology, environmental health, HIV/AIDS, and outreach to special populations
for use by organizations and individuals for research, projects, and community-based
initiatives concerned with health and biomedicine. We provide expertise to
other information services including Tox Town, American Indian Health, Asian
American Health, Radiation Event Medical Management, Household Products Database,
and ChemIDPlus.
Food and Drug Administration, National Center for Toxicological Research,
Scientific Computing and Information Technology Support
ICF provides diverse health informatics support, including
scientific computing and modeling, software development, laboratory, and
help desk support at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR),
which serves as a primary scientific research facility for the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). ICF supports biomedical research that enhances risk
assessment and improves the understanding of basic biological and molecular
mechanisms of toxicity. ICF supports NCTR's mission with Good Laboratory
Practices (GLP) compliance, including the adoption of standard operating
procedures and validation of laboratory-based computer systems.
In collaboration with NCTR, ICF scientists conduct peer-reviewed research
in the toxicological sciences, bio- and chemoinformatics analyses, and associated
information technology modeling. Teams of ICF and NCTR scientists develop
structure-activity relationship (SAR) and quantitative structure-activity
relationship (QSAR) methods and models to predict toxicological endpoints
for untested chemicals based on chemical structure. ICF scientists develop
systems biology models that link interactions between biological system components
and function. In addition to data management, data integration, and related
software development, ICF and NCTR scientists develop and implement methodologies
to produce predictive classification models from classical, genomic, proteomic,
and metabonomic data.
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, National Toxicology Program Information Systems Support
ICF provides scientific and biomedical computing support
to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS). NTP needed to convert years of scientific research
papers and supporting experimental data to electronic media that could be
transmitted to scientists globally. ICF converted all paper-based content
to electronic media and implemented searchable databases and Web portals
to access the content. Scientists from around the world can now access research
results in real-time upon publication, saving their countries millions of
dollars by not duplicating experiments.
