Scientists are not known for staying put. With as much as 20% of the life sciences workforce switching labs each year, product manufacturers' mailing lists are as labile as proteins at room temperature.

Enter i-kode http://www.i-kode.com, a new service from Nottingham, UK-based Ikon Informatix. I-kode helps scientists keep their contact information and research interests up-to-date, select vendors from which they want mailings, and gain control over their junk mail.

"It really puts them in control," said Peter Pingerelli, an Arizona-based consultant for Ikon Informatix. "I liken it to a do-not-call list for scientists."

The service, which Pingerelli says will help marketers control waste and keep track of their customers, is free to scientists. Marketers can choose either to pay an annual membership fee based on the size of their mailing lists, or to pay for individual updates to their databases. More than 35 bioscience companies are currently listed, including...