Software for browsing the human genome

Research Lead, Investment Opportunity

Scientists at the University of Catalunya, Spain, have developed GenomPort, a system that enables the exploration of the human genome over the Internet using the same viewing tools as Google Maps. Consideration of how to commercialise the software is now taking place.

The interactive Web portal, which is free to use, was created using open-source software and is viewed with Mozilla Firefox. It was designed by a team led by Xavier Messeguer of the Algorithms, Bioinformatics, Complexity and Formal Methods (ALBCOM) Research Group.

GenomPort provides a meeting point for user communities, including scientists, doctors, patients and companies, to share data relating to the human genome.

One of the key attribuites of GenomPort is that, unlike other browsers that allow parts of the genome to be viewed by loading a single page at a time, it allows the entire genome to be viewed and explored in a single application.

Users can quickly and easily search and view information stored at different levels on each gene. They can also move right and left through the genome using a mouse, zoom in and out to see an entire chromosome (200 million letters) and view the same region of the genome with different levels of zoom and synchronised movements.

It is planned to upgrade the system to incorporate the option for users who are interested in one or more items (gene, SNPs, diseases) to form a virtual community, and will include new tools for surfing through the human body.

The viability of spinning out GenomPort is now being considered.