Bioinformatics

Novel target discovery

GeneWorld, from Pangea Systems (Oakland, CA), is a comprehensive sequence analysis and annotation solution that transforms bioinformatics data into useful knowledge, helping researchers make rapid, informed decisions for target identification and selection. With features including data mining through flexible query modes, enhanced reporting features, new algorithms (Repeat Masker, X Blast, Blast2, Wu Blast, SWAT, Prositescan), and the ability to register large numbers of sequences (more than 10,000 at a time), view annotations, multiple sequence alignments, and Blast results graphically, GeneWorld automates the analysis and annotation of public and proprietary data by enabling organizations to re-engineer the workflow process to speed analysis. +1 510 628 0100 +1 510 628 0108 http://www.pangeasystems.com

Database navigation system

LION Bioscience (Heidelberg, Germany) announces SRS 6, the new release of its database query and navigation system, providing powerful and easy-to-use access to a broad range of scientific databases including biological sequences, metabolic pathways, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and literature abstracts. SRS enables research organizations to effectively analyze and use their data across their discovery research efforts by using a single interface to search across public, in-house, and in-licensed databases. Users can view specific fields of interest from the result set, launch sequence analysis and homology search applications, and query across databases to find entries in one database based on criteria specified in another database. Licenses for SRS 6 are available from LION Bioscience, and are free of charge to academic users. +49 6221 4038 0 +49 6221 4038101 http://www.lion-ag.de

Gene expression analysis

Designed to tap into genomics databases compliant with Genetic Analysis Technology Consortium (GATC) standards as well as standard Oracle databases, Spotfire's (Cambridge, MA) Expression Explorer 1.0 easily accesses and analyzes databases of specialized chemical and biological information for gene expression data or information on selected experiments. Used in conjunction with Spotfire Pro, Expression Explorer helps users study gene regulation and its relationship to disease. +1 617 621 0340 +1 617 6210381 http://www.spotfire.com

Analysis and visualization

Silicon Genetics' (San Carlos, CA) GeneSpring Version 2.1 enables scientists to analyze and visualize data from gene expression experiments. Working with any organism, it can manipulate data from all types of experiments that associate numbers with genes, such as microarrays, Affymetrix chips, and SAGE. Data can come from a variety of relational databases, flat files, and spreadsheets with a comprehensive choice of normalization options. Silicon Genetics will customize GeneSpring to your database if needed. GeneSpring can intuitively visualize multiple experiments simultaneously, according to physical position, functional classification, as line graphs or histograms, as trees of gene clusters, as ordered lists, scatterplots, or overlaid onto any image. For automatic data mining, the unique "find interesting genes" feature looks at multiple experiments such as several time series to find genes that deserve closer inspection. +1 650 591 4459 +1 650 591 5574 http://www.sigenetics.com

Protein analysis

LifeProt, a protein analysis software package from Incyte (Palo Alto, CA) and Oxford GlycoSciences (Oxford, UK), is designed for use with the companies' proteomics database products. Together, the databases and software are designed to speed the discovery and selection of new targets and optimization of lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. Together with Incyte's LifeArray and LifeTools software, LifeProt provides a unique platform for integrating genomic RNA expression data and protein expression data in a single environment. LifeProt will give researchers the ability to store, retrieve, mine, and subset protein data, research specific proteins in-depth, map proteins to other types of Incyte data, interface directly with other Incyte databases and analysis tools, and identify potential targets for further research. +1 650 855 0555 +1 650 855 0572 http://www.incyte.com