IT鈥橲 got colourful 3D graphics and you can play it with a joystick. No, it鈥檚
not a video game, it鈥檚 a way of exploring the human genome.
鈥淧eople respond to 3D displays in a visceral way,鈥� says David Small of Small
Design Firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who created the interactive software
for Variagenics, also based in Cambridge. The idea is that it will help
researchers get to grips with the massive amounts of information being generated
by sequencing the genome.
To start, you use the joystick to move through bright columns representing
the chromosomes. Then, as you dive into your chosen chromosome, you can explore
deeper and deeper into the genetic sequence.
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Once you get to the desired gene, you can move the joystick to the right to
see an image of the protein that the gene codes for. Move it to the left and the
gene鈥檚 complete sequence appears in a box. Jolt the stick a bit more to the
left, and the program shows you how this section of the genome varies in
different people.
Non-experts may want to end their trip right here, but for drugs companies
this is where the fun really starts. That鈥檚 because Variagenics is sequencing
key genes in 32 individuals to find which variations in genes determine whether
a drug works better for one person than for others. 鈥淲e believe we will be able
to develop tests to see how people will respond to different drugs,鈥� says
vice-president of research Colyn Dykes.
The database used to generate the display will eventually include information
on around 5000 genes that may be involved in drug response, as well as publicly
available information on the genome. Ready-to-use versions of the database will
be released in a few weeks, says Dykes.