September 15, 2010 (Vol. 30, No. 16)
Rating:
Strong Points: Well-designed site, large collection of useful links
Weak Points: Nothing Major
Summary:
Microarrays—expression profiles for large numbers of genes, usually comparing different conditions—have been in fashion for some time now, and they do seem to be everywhere these days. (Indeed, scientists may sometimes feel that they can’t publish their work without one.) Researchers can satisfy their craving for all things microarray by visiting the Stanford Microarray Database (SMD), a website that provides links to plenty of resources. There are many public-accessible microarray datasets available on the site, and there are also links to other microarray databases. Another aspect of the extensive links collection is the software page, as the SMD provides a large list of downloadable software from both Stanford and other sources. The site layout is great, and while some resources are restricted for use only by Stanford researchers, there is more than enough public material available on this site to make it worth your while.
