or where its sequence can be found. The interaction entry also outlines the experimental conditions required to observe binding in vitro, chemical dynamics (including thermodynamics and kinetics). The second type of BIND entries are the molecular complexes. Molecular complexes are defined as an aggregate of molecules that are stable and have a function when bound to each other. The record may also contain some information on the role of the complex in various interactions and the molecular complex entry links data from 2 or more interaction records. The third component of BIND is the pathway record section. A pathway consists of a network of interactions that are involved in the regulation of cellular processes. This section may also contain information on phenotypes and diseases related to the pathway. The minimum amount of information needed to create an entry in BIND is a PubMed publication reference and an entry in another database (e.g. GenBank). Each entry within the database provides references/authors for the data. As BIND is a constantly growing database, all components of BIND track updates and changes. BIND is based on a data specification written using Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1) language. ASN.1 is used also by NCBI when storing data for their Entrez system and because of this BIND uses the same standards as NCBI for data representation. The ASN.1 language is preferred because it can be easily translated into other data specification languages (e.g. XML), can easily handle complex data and can be applied to all biological interactions – not just proteins. Bader and Hogue (2000) have prepared a detailed manuscript on the ASN.1 data specification used by BIND. Data submission and curation User submission to the database is encouraged. To contribute to the database, one must submit: contact info, PubMed identifier and the two molecules that interact. The person who submits a record is the owner of it. All records are validated before being made public and BIND is curated for quality assurance. BIND curation has two tracks: high-throughput (HTP) and low-throughput (LTP). HTP records are from papers which have reported more than 40 interaction results from one experimental methodology. HTP curators typically have a bioinformatics backgrounds. The HTP curators are responsible for the collection of storage of experimental data and they also create scripts to update BIND based on new publications. LTP records are curated by individuals with either an MSc or PhD and laboratory