SmithKline Beecham (SB) licensed Gene Logic's bioinformatics system and software tools based on the Object Protocol Model (OPM). OPM was developed by Victor Markowitz and his team while funded by the DOE HGP at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The program enables the rapid development of relational databases, integration of relational and flat-file databases, and building of cross-database query systems.

Gene Logic and SB also will use OPM to develop a series of customized databases and servers for integrating a wide range of public and proprietary genomic and biological data sources into SB's data-mining process. Under the agreement, Gene Logic will receive software licensing fees and funding while retaining the right to license software and products developed under the collaborative program to third-party customers.

Michael J. Brennan, president and chief executive officer of Gene Logic, said, "This relationship with SB is a validation of the power of the OPM system to manage and integrate large volumes of genomic and biological data from disparate sources into a seamless data-mining process."