Online Game Drives Genetic Research

The multiple alignment problem abstracted into an online game can contribute to the understanding of genetic sequences.

Dr. Jérôme Waldispuhl of the School of Computer Science at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) explained, "Our new online game enables players to have fun while contributing to genetic research--players can even choose which genetic disease they want to help decode.”

The game is called Phylo and can be played online (please see related links below). The game has been tested within the scientific community to ensure its accuracy, but was officially launched in November 2010. "We're hoping that people will enjoy playing the game and that many participants will sign up,” Dr. Waldispühl said. "This is an opportunity for people to use their free time to contribute in an extremely important way to medical research.”

Many human diseases are caused by defects in the DNA code, and researchers are only just beginning to work out this link. Beyond offering the public an opportunity to get involved in this research, the game is also useful for teaching the next generation of genetics researchers about their field. "The precise genetic cause of most diseases is not known, but thanks to Phylo gamers, this research could be significantly improved,” said Dr. Alain Denise, a bioinformatics and computational biology researcher at the University of Paris-Sud 11 (France).

The researchers have their sights set high for the future of the game. "We would like to integrate this game directly into Facebook as an application.”

Related Links:
McGill University
Phylo