Internet Toxicogenomics Database for Researchers

A database that provides centralized, integrated, and curated molecular and toxicology data from diverse organisms has been made available on the Internet for use by researchers worldwide.

The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and its website (http://ctd.mdibl.org) have been prepared by The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (Salisbury Cove, ME, USA). At this stage the database is a prototype designed to identify interactions between chemicals and genes in diverse organisms to advance understanding of how environmental chemicals affect human health.

The CTD integrates and organizes gene, sequence, chemical, reference, taxonomic, and gene ontology data to support hypotheses about gene-chemical interactions. Information in the database should allow researchers to answer questions such as the following. This chemical affects which genes? Which chemicals interact with this gene? Which references report this gene-chemical interaction? In which organisms has this gene-chemical interaction been studied? Which regions of this toxicologically important protein are conserved in vertebrates and invertebrates? This chemical affects which cellular functions?

"It is becoming increasingly well accepted that many diseases involve interactions between environmental factors and genes. We integrate key data from diverse species, such as gene sequences, chemicals, and references, to provide a comparative perspective on gene-chemical interactions. This perspective is critical for understanding molecular mechanisms by which chemicals exert toxicity,” said Dr. Carolyn J. Mattingly, director of bioinformatics at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.




Related Links:
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory