February 15, 2011 (Vol. 31, No. 4)
URL:
http://www.thebiogrid.org
Rating:
Strong Points: Nice site design, many resources
Weak Points: Search options limited
Summary:
Commuters everywhere will appreciate the fact that “gridlock” is something to avoid. Yet, I present here one type of GRID that scientists may not mind getting locked into for hours on end. BioGRID (more formally known as the Biological General Repository for Interaction Datasets) is a website that contains information about unique biological interactions. Fifty species are represented in the database, which can be searched by gene name, identifier, or keyword. (Unfortunately, though, there is no “function” search option, so searches for “apoptosis” or “metabolism” return no results.) Beyond simply searching the database, visitors can build and download custom interaction datasets, utilize a number of online tools and resources (such as network visualization tools), and also browse the interaction statistics for the site. There is a separate help wiki, yet even with this assistance it may take a bit of time to acquaint yourself with everything included in this website.
