A Small Introduction ^^
My name is Thanos Xhurxhi, and I'm a PhD candidate at the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology (IBMP) right here in Strasbourg, France 🇫🇷. Rx/ Suite was born out of my own experiences in the lab. I created these tools to solve the everyday frustrations and repetitive calculations I faced during my research, aiming to build simple, free solutions that could help other students and scientists save time and focus on what truly matters: the science.
Late Nights, Tedious Tasks
If you’ve ever been a PhD student in the life sciences, you know the drill. The excitement of a breakthrough experiment is often followed by the tedious reality of data processing. For me, that meant wrestling with expensive software like GraphPad Prism—a fantastic program, but one whose cost isn't always something a supervisor in academia is willing to cover. I found myself thinking, "There has to be a better way."
Building a Better Way
I started small. The first tool was the Scientific Calculator, built to automate the dilution and molarity calculations I did most often. It saved me time and reduced errors. Then, I turned to data plotting. While the free programming language R is a fantastic alternative to expensive software, it has a steep learning curve that can be intimidating. I wanted to bridge that gap. My goal was to build an interactive interface on top of R, creating a tool that gives anyone access to its statistical power, no coding skills required. That idea became the foundation for Open Prism.
From One Tool to a Suite
As I shared these tools with colleagues, I realized I wasn't alone. One tool led to another, each born from a specific need. After running countless ELISAs, I built the ELISA Plotting tool to handle 4PL curve fitting automatically. To streamline my literature reviews, I created the Abstract Review tool to quickly sift through hundreds of papers. The goal was always the same: to create tools that are free, intuitive, and powerful.
The Future is Collaborative
Rx/ Suite is a living project. It grows and improves based on the real-world needs of the scientific community. My hope is that these tools save you a bit of time, reduce some frustration, and help you get back to the science you're passionate about. If you find this project useful, please consider fueling future updates with a coffee.Your support helps keep these tools free and accessible for everyone.
P.S. Where did the name "Rx/" come from?
The short and boring answer is that it represents the coupling of R (the programming language) with an χ (the Greek letter 'chi', often used in statistics) to form a 'prescription' for your data woes. The deeper, and perhaps less safe-for-work answer... well, I'm originally from Greece. I'll let you connect the dots from there.