Research Tools

The right tools can provide extraordinary leverage in research, and have become indispensable to the exploration of the vast amounts of genomic and biological knowledge scientists are accumulating today. The tools listed here enable access to information and materials: A researcher may need to find a gene and its biological function or cellular location, identify genetic variations associated with disease, or gain access to reagents or DNA among a network of colleagues.

Today’s research tools and resources foster collaboration: GenBank (which catalogs over 100 billion bases of DNA sequence), ChemBank and the components of the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project are shared repositories that tap into the collective knowledge of thousands of researchers around the globe. Informatics tools in the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™) empower investigators with creative ideas, but perhaps limited resources, to conduct sophisticated analyses of data, while the NCI has taken the lead in establishing central facilities (through The Cancer Genome Atlas) that can help investigators sequence and characterize genes of interest in cancer, and develop new technology to support their quest.

Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) Tools
The CGAP tools include tools to find genes, cDNA libraries, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). The list also indexes tools to examine gene expression and chromosomes.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Tools
The TCGA Initiative’s main tools are a highly organized system of resources that include Cancer Genome Characterization and Sequencing Centers as well as Data Management, Bioinformatics, and Computational analysis programs.

Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) Tools
The CGEMS tools were designed to allow the public to query the data generated in the form of precomputed summary tables. In addition, interested researchers can request access to the raw genotypes if they register individually and with institutional confirmation of research intent only to comply with the institutional IRB guidelines of the sample (re)sources.

Initiative for Chemical Genetics (ICG) Tools
The primary tool of the ICG project is ChemBank, a small-molecule and assay-data analysis platform that gives the public access to screening results. The ICG ChemBank allows users to search for small molecules by structure, function, or name, or even by picking out those molecules that suggest binding or activity in biological assays.

Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) Tools
The key tools in the MGC study include different databases that collect, annotate, and distribute genetic sequences. Please visit the following links for more information about these tools: