03/01/2012
Helping Researchers Find Bioenergy-Related Data
The Science
A systems biology approach to biological research requires ready access to information from many investigators conducting a wide variety of experiments. DOE’s BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) is undertaking large experimental campaigns to understand the biosynthesis and biodegradation of biomass and to develop biofuel solutions. BESC is generating large volumes of diverse data, including genome sequences, omics data, and diverse assay results. To assist the community of bioenergy researchers, BESC has developed a public Knowledgebase repository (besckb.ornl.gov) that they describe in the journal Bioinformatics. The BESC Knowledgebase serves as a central repository for experimentally generated data and provides an integrated, interactive, and user-friendly analysis framework. The Knowledgebase portal makes tools available for visualization, integration, and analysis of data produced by BESC or obtained from external resources. The aim of this database is to provide a resource for a systems-level understanding of cellular processes involved in plant formation, degradation, and biofuel production. The BESC Knowledgebase fits within the scope of a larger Knowledgebase activity across the DOE Genomic Science Program (https://www.genomicscience.energy.gov/compbio/).
References
Syed, M. H., T. V. Karpinets, M. Parang, M. R. Leuze, B. H. Park, D. Hyatt, S. D. Brown, S. Moulton, M. D. Galloway, and E. C. Uberbacher. 2012. “BESC Knowledgebase Public Portal,” Bioinformatics, DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/bts016.