How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story
📰 Medium · Deep Learning
Adding a single database can significantly improve an AI system's performance, as seen in the NeoRx v2 integration of the ChEMBL database
Action Steps
- Assess your current database integration to identify potential gaps in data coverage
- Research and evaluate new databases that can fill those gaps, such as ChEMBL for biomedical data
- Design and implement a plan to integrate the new database into your AI system
- Test and evaluate the performance of your AI system with the new database integration
- Refine and optimize your AI system as needed to take full advantage of the new data
Who Needs to Know This
Data scientists and AI engineers can benefit from understanding the impact of high-quality data on AI system performance, and how integrating new databases can improve results
Key Insight
💡 High-quality data is often more important than complex algorithms in achieving good AI performance
Share This
1 database can make all the difference in AI performance!NeoRx v2's integration of ChEMBL improved results from Grade F to Grade A #AI #DataScience
Key Takeaways
Adding a single database can significantly improve an AI system's performance, as seen in the NeoRx v2 integration of the ChEMBL database
Full Article
Title: How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story
URL Source: https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/how-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b?source=rss------deep_learning-5
Published Time: 2026-04-21T12:01:02Z
Markdown Content:
# How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story | by Kelyn Njeri | Apr, 2026 | Medium
[Sitemap](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml)
[Open in app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Sign up
[Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)
[](https://medium.com/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Get app
[Write](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------)
[Search](https://medium.com/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Sign up
[Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)

Member-only story
# How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story
[](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/?source=post_page---byline--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------------------------)
[Kelyn Njeri](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/?source=post_page---byline--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------------------------)
Follow
3 min read
·
1 hour ago
[](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fvote%2Fp%2Fc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&user=Kelyn+Njeri&userId=8084afd94c4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------clap_footer------------------)
[](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fbookmark%2Fp%2Fc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------bookmark_footer------------------)
[Listen](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fplans%3Fdimension%3Dpost_audio_button%26postId%3Dc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------post_audio_button------------------)
Share
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Photo by [Vedrana Filipović](https://unsplash.com/@vedranafilipovic?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)
Sometimes the biggest improvement in an AI system comes not from a better algorithm, but from better data.
NeoRx v1 used seven biomedical databases to build disease knowledge graphs. It worked well on cancer and metabolic diseases. It completely failed on infectious diseases — Grade F for both malaria and Ebola, Grade C for HIV.
NeoRx v2 added one database
URL Source: https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/how-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b?source=rss------deep_learning-5
Published Time: 2026-04-21T12:01:02Z
Markdown Content:
# How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story | by Kelyn Njeri | Apr, 2026 | Medium
[Sitemap](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml)
[Open in app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Sign up
[Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)
[](https://medium.com/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Get app
[Write](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------)
[Search](https://medium.com/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)
Sign up
[Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)

Member-only story
# How Adding One Database Changed Everything: The ChEMBL Integration Story
[](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/?source=post_page---byline--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------------------------)
[Kelyn Njeri](https://kelyn-njeri.medium.com/?source=post_page---byline--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------------------------)
Follow
3 min read
·
1 hour ago
[](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fvote%2Fp%2Fc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&user=Kelyn+Njeri&userId=8084afd94c4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------clap_footer------------------)
[](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fbookmark%2Fp%2Fc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------bookmark_footer------------------)
[Listen](https://medium.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fplans%3Fdimension%3Dpost_audio_button%26postId%3Dc35ffcaf2a4b&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fkelyn-njeri.medium.com%2Fhow-adding-one-database-changed-everything-the-chembl-integration-story-c35ffcaf2a4b&source=---header_actions--c35ffcaf2a4b---------------------post_audio_button------------------)
Share
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Photo by [Vedrana Filipović](https://unsplash.com/@vedranafilipovic?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)
Sometimes the biggest improvement in an AI system comes not from a better algorithm, but from better data.
NeoRx v1 used seven biomedical databases to build disease knowledge graphs. It worked well on cancer and metabolic diseases. It completely failed on infectious diseases — Grade F for both malaria and Ebola, Grade C for HIV.
NeoRx v2 added one database
DeepCamp AI