Identify high-quality drug leads and optimize clinical candidates using DNA-encoded library data and Chemomics to reduce risk in biotech and pharma discovery.
canSAR.ai
canSAR.ai is an integrated knowledge-base leveraging machine learning and AI for cancer drug discovery and translational research worldwide.

About canSAR.ai
canSAR.ai is a public, integrated knowledge-base for cancer drug discovery, powered by an international collaboration led by MD Anderson Cancer Center. It brings together multidisciplinary data across biology, chemistry, pharmacology, structural biology, cellular networks, and clinical annotations. Crucially, it applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide drug-discovery useful predictions. The platform offers tools like Chemical Search and Advanced Search for proteins, cell lines, drugs, diseases, and 3D structures. It serves as a single portal for complex multi-disciplinary questions, aiding hypothesis generation and decision-making in identifying causes, biomarkers, and therapeutics for cancer. It is freely available to all researchers.
canSAR.ai features
- free and publicly available resource
- regularly updated multidisciplinary data (e.g., 3d structures, protein families)
- offers tools for analyzing tissue/cell line expression and structural data
- provides detailed insights on proteins, drugs, and their interactions
- advanced search across various biological and chemical entities
- chemical search (substructure and similarity)
- leverages ai/ml for drug-discovery predictions
- integrated knowledge-base for cancer drug discovery
canSAR.ai pricing
Is canSAR.ai free? Yes, canSAR.ai has a free plan.
Free
Free
- Access to integrated knowledge-base
- Machine learning predictions
- Chemical Search
- Advanced Search (Protein, Cell Lines, Drugs & Compounds, Diseases, 3D Structures, Protein Families)
- Insights on protein expression and drug bioactivity
- Regularly updated data
- Full functionality without license
canSAR.ai FAQs
What is canSAR?
canSAR.ai is an integrated database that brings together biological, chemical, pharmacological (and eventually clinical) data to aid cancer research.
Do I need a license to use canSAR?
No, canSAR.ai is freely available to all cancer researchers, both academic and commercial.
Why is canSAR.ai called 'canSAR.ai'?
The name 'canSAR' is a historical play on words reflecting its integration of cancer-relevant data with compound Structure-Activity-Relationship (SAR) data.
I seem to find that some functionality is missing when using IE
Internet Explorer (IE) is a non-standards compliant browser. Use Microsoft Edge or other modern browsers for full functionality.
How can I inform you of any bugs or problems?
Please email us on cansar@mdanderson.org to report any bugs or issues you experience while using canSAR.
How can I cite canSAR?
You can cite canSAR using the publication: "canSAR: update to the cancer translational research and drug discovery knowledgebase" published in Nucl. Acids Res. in 2023.
Where does the data in canSAR.ai come from?
canSAR.ai data comes from a wide variety of public sources and publications. Internal versions also include internally generated experimental data.
How often is the data in canSAR.ai updated?
Data is generally updated on a monthly basis, but public sources have different cycles. The Data Sources page shows update status.
How frequently is the 3D structural data updated in canSAR?
3D structures are updated every week, a couple of days after PDB releases new structures, with additional annotations.
Do I need to know the official gene name to search for a target?
No, canSAR.ai searches all alternative names, synonyms, descriptions, and keywords.
What organisms does canSAR.ai store data on?
canSAR.ai focuses on human data for targets, but includes many model organism targets. Chemical screening data is from various organisms.
I still cannot find my target and I have searched for different names
Try expanding the search with "Advanced Search" and "All organisms." If still not found, try a sequence search or email cansar@mdanderson.org.
I cannot find a compound by searching for its name, but I expect it to be in canSAR
We annotate compound synonyms. Try a chemical structure search. If data is missing, contact us at cansar@mdanderson.org.
How do I find out what tissues or cell lines show high expression of my target?
View the Target Synopsis and go to the Expression area. For multiple targets, use the expression tool.
How do I find out if there is half life or other ADME data for my compound?
This information can be obtained from the "Compound Synopsis" Page for a given compound.
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