September 15, 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 16)

URL:

http://biogps.org

Rating:

Strong Points: Customizable gene reports, many datasets

Weak Points: None

Summary:

Perhaps you are familiar with the BioGPS app (maybe even as a result of this column), but the original web resource deserves its own moment in the spotlight. BioGPS is an excellent gene portal that emphasizes customizability. That is, the people behind the site recognize that a geneticist’s needs won’t be the same as those of a molecular biologist when it comes to gene annotation. Once users register for a free account, they can search for their gene of interest and subsequently build customized gene reports. This is accomplished by selecting specific plugins (third-party websites) from the sizeable plugin library, thereby displaying only the information that is pertinent to the user. Plugins range from literature resources, to pathway databases, to expression data and protein resources. As for the datasets themselves, BioGPS provides site visitors with downloadable datasets that span four species—human, mouse, rat, and pig—though the majority of the datasets relate to humans.

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