text: BIND contains information on three types of data: interactions, molecular complexes and pathways. 
  # Interactions are the basic component of BIND and describe how 2 or more objects (A and B) interact with each other. The objects can be a variety of things: DNA, RNA, genes, proteins, ligands, or photons. The interaction entry contains the most information about a molecule; it provides information on its name and synonyms, where it is found (e.g. where in the cell, what species, when it is active, etc.), and its sequence 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.
  <br />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.