Biomedical tools—laboratory methods, modeling techniques, and software applications—are essential to scientific discovery, from detecting genetic variants to visualizing molecular structures. Despite their critical role, these tools are frequently overlooked by traditional impact metrics such as citation counts, leaving a significant gap in recognizing the scientists and teams behind these innovations.
To address this, our NIH-funded project establishes a comprehensive knowledge base, BioToolKB, that captures and categorizes the spectrum of BioTools used across biomedicine. By building a large, searchable repository linked to scientific publications, patents, clinical trials, and policy documents, we trace each tool’s reach and influence across science, policy, and clinical practice. We also develop new metrics that go beyond traditional indicators to capture BioTools’ contributions across sectors and their influence on disease research and treatment advancements.
This work provides an empirical foundation to measure the full breadth of BioTools’ impact and to guide future policies that foster the creation and adoption of transformative biomedical tools.
