Mission

Given the exclusively computerized nature of our methods, ProtoQSAR activity has a very positive social impact. First, through computation it is possible to reduce the number of laboratory animal tests, or even to replace them in some cases*. Approximately 12 million vertebrate animals are annually slaughtered in the EU for scientific or regulatory purposes (Taylor, K., & Rego, L. (2016). EU statistics on animal experiments for 2014. ALTEX, 33, 465-468). These tests are obviously ethically questionable, and their preparation and execution are also expensive and time consuming.

On the other hand, our activities are also intended to contribute to environmental improvement. We have predictive models for a large number of eco-toxicological parameters (aquatic toxicity, toxicity in different species such as bees or terrestrial organisms, etc.), which allows us to guide the development of new active substances towards those that have proven effectiveness while respecting our natural environment.

 

Values

At ProtoQSAR we firmly believe in the value of experience, the culture of hard work and the satisfaction for well-donework. We intend to satisfy our customers/collaborators by contributing our commitment in each of the projects in which we participate, and our high motivation to develop them and bring them to a good end.

We fully adhere to the proposals made at the 1st National Congress of Entrepreneurial Scientists (Valencia, 2012) in which a code of good practices was proposed that would make compatible the responsible use of Science with Entrepreneurship. In ProtoQSAR we subscribe completely and without exception all the points of said code. We are convinced of the importance of the good practices of entrepreneurial scientists, respect for our environment and society as a whole, and we are committed to contributing to a more fair and solidary society.

_{*Computational approaches are part of the so-called alternative methods, whose purpose is the fulfillment of the “3 Rs”: refinement of conventional methods to reduce the potential suffering of living beings used in experimentation, reduction in the number of animals used, and finally the replacement of said tests by others in which the animal sacrifice is not necessary.}