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Although some academics take computational tools as "secondary" instruments, in silico approaches have become a central issue for many modern geneticists and other researchers working on current molecular life sciences. There has been an explosion in terms of the number of options of these computational tools, leading to the importance of the implementation of detailed guides of the universe of available resources.
An in press paper describes the GenEpi Toolbox, a novel guide of computational resources for genetic epidemiology. It is a freely available resource developed by a team at the Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria, that provides a detailed catalogue of selected in silico tools of interest for researchers working in human genetics and genomics. It has a quite useful Tool Selection Chart, based on the specific needs and topics faced by researchers (such as analysis of nsSNPs or of SNPs located in UTRs, for example). In addition, it gives detailed info about resources in selected categories, such as Effects on protein function, Splicing regulation, SNP annotation tools, Regulatory elements, among others. GenEpi Toolbox, and other similar guides that are available or in development, will facilitate a further systematic exploration and identification of genetic factors associated to human diseases and phenotypes. "The major near term changes for GenEpi Toolbox will be the creation of four new sections: CNV-databases, pathway-related databases and tools, wet-lab tools and in-house projects." Stefan Coassin, MSc, PhD student Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Innsbruck Medical University Innsbruck, Austria Links: GenEpi Toolbox References: Coassin S, Brandstätter A, Kronenberg F. Lost in the space of bioinformatic tools: A constantly updated survival guide for genetic epidemiology. The GenEpi Toolbox. Atherosclerosis, in press. Prof. Dr. Diego A. Forero, MD, PhD Editor, hum-molgen.org
Message posted by: Diego Forero
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