Currently, when researchers need to search the vast pool of biomedical literature they go to PubMed, a search engine and database maintained by the National Institute of Health. Vicki Burnett acknowledges that “PubMed is a great resource,” but it can often be challenging and frustrating for researchers to find the information they seek. Burnett and Jeff Saffer have first hand knowledge of this process, having both worked as bench researchers for many years. With this experience in mind the duo set out to “make it easier for researchers to find the information they want.” This vision has materialized in just over six months of dedicated work in the new biomedical research search engine www.Quertle.info, which goes live today.
Quertle offers improvements to PubMed on several fronts, all with the goal of facilitating access to the sought information. This ease begins with the interface and continues to the list of results returned which include the search terms highlighted in context. The context initially displayed is a single sentence, but users can click to expand to see more surrounding text to ensure the result actually relates to their query.
But the improvements in Quertle go well beyond merely interface. The Quertle engine was built from the ground up and designed specifically for the biomedical field. The engine includes a variety of algorithms that help it evaluate not only specific words but also the way they appear in sentences, including conceptually-based semantics. The engine is also tied into databases containing a wide variety of medical terminology to allow it to understand classifications (e.g. genes, proteins). Saffer says these features will allow users to “ask questions in a more natural way.” For example, if a researcher wanted to know what protein controlled the cell cycle, she could simply enter this question into Quertle and would receive articles with names of specific proteins (e.g., cyclins) that are relevant to cell cycle control. A similar search in a traditional search engine would likely return articles that contained the words protein, cell cycle, control – all terms of high frequency in scientific literature, likely necessitating additional manual filtering or a different search approach.
Burnett acknowledges that “scientists are a tough group to please,” but the duo believes they bring enough improvements to the table to keep researchers coming back. Yet attracting and retaining this user base is just Quertle’s first challenge. Next they must attract the advertisers which will serve as the site’s revenue source. Here the company will look to those companies that provide products and services for laboratories, an industry that has indicated it is largely seeking to shift its advertising online. The current problem for these suppliers is that no one site reaches more than 3% of researchers, a reality Saffer describes as “a big pain point for advertisers,” and he believes Quertle can fill this void. Saffer notes “essentially 100% of researchers go to PubMed, most of them close to daily,” promising Quertle – if it can attract even a fraction of these users – the chance to achieve the wider reach that advertisers seek. Quertle also hopes to help its advertisers be more effective through its understanding of the type of advertisements researchers prefer (essentially a small logo for brand recognition with descriptive text) which differs substantially from the preferences of the general public. Burnett reports good early indicators on the advertiser front, noting that 30% of advertisers approached at a recent conference requested follow-up materials, with many others expressing interest once the Quertle site went live.
While biomedical researchers and those seeking to advertise may be difficult to reach online, the Quertle team can reach thousands of both audiences at industry conferences, like the ongoing BIO conference in Atlanta with 20,000+ in attendance and about 2000 exhibitors. Direct advertiser engagement at these functions, along with giving presentations about Quertle’s capabilities, represent key aspects of Quertle’s customer and advertiser acquisition strategy.
Behind today’s launch of a live beta site is many years of experience, and over six months of dedicated work from Saffer, Burnett, four full time staff and several contractors. The company, based in Boulder, Colorado, received a small initial seed investment, but garnered the majority of the money it needed from a single investor. Saffer maintains these resources provide “a reasonably long runway” in getting to market and growing the user base. Although the company’s angel investment may appear a stroke of substantial luck in a down economy, months of networking and pitch refinement were behind this good fortune. According to Saffer, what enabled Quertle to close the deal was the following proposition: “We [could] articulate our value in two sentences, not several paragraphs. Quertle offers a better way for biomedical researchers to understand literature through a new search engine. Attracting these researchers will create a website that offers companies targeting these researchers unprecedented online advertising reach.” The Quertle team hopes that this message – and a product they believe delivers on this promise – will resonate just as strongly with researchers and advertisers as it did with investors.
