Dr. Akhilesh Pandey is a leading bioinformatician who has partnered with Elsevier for nearly a decade on publishing, research, and programs to advance scientific discovery; through initiatives like Apps for Science and Code for Science, Dr. Pandey sees Elsevier as beneficial for propagating scientific work and engaging the developer community to create solutions that enhance research. The partnership between Dr. Pandey and Elsevier resulted in the Human Protein Database being made accessible on ScienceDirect and credited Elsevier's expertise in application development for its success.

1. Elsevier Applications and Developer Network
Partner Spotlight
Akhilesh Pandey, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

2. Partner Spotlight Akhilesh Pandey, M.D., Ph.D.
As the world’s leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information and solutions, Elsevier is continuously
seeking new ways to accelerate scientific information search and discovery. Through the efforts of the Elsevier Developer
Network, new relationships are being forged to foster collaboration throughout the scientific community to develop
innovative workflow solutions that enhance researcher productivity and help solve research problems.
Partner Spotlight
Dr. Akhilesh Pandey
Professor, Institute of Genetic Medicine and Departments of Biological Chemistry, Oncology and Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Editorial Board member, Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, Journal of Proteome Research, Proteomics, Clinical Proteomics and DNA Research,
Genome Research (former) Associate Editor, BMC Bioinformatics
About Dr. Pandey Dr. Pandey and Elsevier
As one of the top bioinformaticists in the world, Dr. Pandey has a vision to In addition to his work at Johns Hopkins and IOB, Dr. Pandey has
invigorate and fuel popular interest in science on a global scale and take a worked in conjunction with Elsevier for nearly a decade, partnering
systems biology approach by combining many Omics technologies. on publishing, research, and cultivation programs to push science
and discovery. Pandey sees Elsevier’s work in academic publishing as
Working in proteomics, Dr. Pandey developed the SILAC method, a beneficial to the advancement and propagation of the work done by the
mass spectrometry-based procedure that detects variances in protein global scientific community.
abundance using non-radioactive isotopic labeling. To aid in his
research, Pandey founded the Institute of Bioinformatics in Bangalore, With Dr. Pandey’s cutting-edge research and fervor for the globalization
India. Coupled with his team from the Pandey Labs at Johns Hopkins of science, Elsevier’s Developer Network approached him to collaborate
University—a Systems Biology lab whose objective is to find a better on a number of initiatives. In 2011 he was invited to be a judge for Apps
understanding of signaling pathways and identify therapeutic targets and for Science, a software developers’ competition to create workflow
biomarkers in a variety of cancers—they set out to create an exhaustive, solutions that enhance the research experience. The competition provided
centralized human protein database that researchers and scientists around developers’ access to Elsevier’s scientific content and APIs (Application
the world could reference for their own work. Programming Interfaces), and challenged them to develop apps that
improve productivity. The competition spawned over 6,000 followers and
yielded 27 completed apps, 15 of which are now available via Elsevier’s
Application Marketplace.

3. Elsevier Developer Network |
Following Apps for Science, the Developer Network approached Dr. Pandey
with the idea of a collaborative effort on his lab’s human protein database. By
linking to the ScienceDirect platform as an app, the protein database could
then be linked to full- text articles on ScienceDirect, making Pandey’s work From the success of Apps for Science, coupled with the relationship
accessible to more than 15 million researchers, and alleviating his concerns fostered while building the HPRD app, Elsevier asked Dr. Pandey to
on how to effectively make his research available to the broader scientific co-chair Developer Network’s international challenge series, Code for
community. “I thought it would be a great thing to link the database via an Science. Pandey and his teams from Johns Hopkins and the Institute of
app on ScienceDirect,” says Pandey about Elsevier’s approach. Bioinformatics in Bangalore have led the initiative currently underway
in India, with participants submitting over 100 application concepts in
“ e wanted to be part of the solution—not just using
W the first round of the competition. “They’re trying to reach the broader
apps, but making ones that others could use.” research- developer community,” says Dr. Pandey about the developer
competition Elsevier has established in recent years. “They’re not just
looking for scientist/developers that are reading journals; they’re looking
The result, Human Protein
for the best talent they can tap into.”
Database (HPRD), a widely utilized
internet-accessible database that
As other information- and data-driven companies seek a larger foothold
many scientists from around the
within the community, Dr. Pandey sees Elsevier’s continued presence, both
world recognize as the premier
as a publisher and as a promoter of the developer-researcher ecosystem,
reference for protein information,
as its greatest strength. “A lot of companies want to come in and talk
is now available to researchers
about revolutionizing research,” explains Pandey.
on ScienceDirect. Pandey
credits much of the success of
this effort not only to its link
“ he problem lies in the fact that you need to have
T
to ScienceDirect, but also to expertise in the area that you’re talking about and want
Elsevier’s specific knowledge base to change. Areas like biomedical research are not easy
in application development. to grasp. Elsevier understands science, as well as our
research challenges, and truly engages with scientists,
“Though we have developers, we had never done something like this
before,” Pandey admits. “Elsevier knew the data structure and how to aid in researchers, and developers to create top notch
fine-tuning the algorithms that go into fueling the database’s search engine. results—there is instant chemistry.”
It’s not just about funding or encouragement. They’re actively involved, and
we’re very happy about that.”

4. For More Information
visit developers.elsevier.com or email n.bhuva@elsevier.com