Lion has dubbed the computerized approach "i-biology," according to its head of bioinformatics Reinhard Schneider, and is promising Bayer that in five years its computers will discover 500 new genes, aswell as annotate 70 genes Bayer has already found. Pattern-recognition algorithms, which will drive the daily scourings of the databases, lie at the core of i-biology.

The i-biology approach represents the consolidation of the many diverse data in life science research into refined information. In contrast to bioinformatics, which represents solely computational biology, i-biology stands for an integrated approach, bringing applied scientists and bioinformaticians together."

Over the next five years LION Bioscience Research Inc. (LBRI), the wholly owned Cambridge, Massachusetts-based subsidiary of LION AG, shall deliver to Bayer, 500 new target genes, 70 new annotations on existing Bayer-owned gene targets and an undisclosed number of gene expression markers and SNPs. All targets will be identified and validated at LBRI using the aforementioned novel IT-systems. The resulting information will be globally accessible to Bayer's scientists via an Intranet system, facilitating seamless and immediate application. This interdisciplinary approach for the integration of data, information, hard- and software as well as the direct involvement of scientists in drug discovery is called i-biology.