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The Los Alamos hepatitis C sequence database
Carla Kuiken1, Karina Yusim, Laura Boykin
1HCV database, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
Insights
A new Hepatitis C virus (HCV) database offers annotated sequences and analysis tools for researchers. This central resource aids in understanding HCV's rapid evolution and aids vaccine and drug design efforts.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Bioinformatics
- Public Health
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) poses a global health threat due to its rapid evolution and variability.
- Developing effective vaccines and drugs against HCV is challenging because it evades the immune system.
- Over 30,000 HCV sequences are publicly available, necessitating a centralized resource.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a central, publicly accessible website for annotated HCV sequences.
- To provide essential analysis tools for researchers studying HCV.
- To facilitate global scientific collaboration in HCV research.
Main Methods:
- Development of a comprehensive HCV sequence database.
- Implementation of a user-friendly web interface for data access and searching.
- Integration of advanced sequence analysis tools, modeled after the Los Alamos HIV database.
Main Results:
- The HCV sequence database was launched in September 2003.
- The database provides annotated sequence data with a user-friendly search interface.
- Website usage has grown to approximately 280 daily visits from distinct IP addresses.
Conclusions:
- The HCV sequence database serves as a valuable resource for the scientific community.
- The centralized platform supports ongoing research in HCV vaccine and drug development.
- The database promotes a better understanding of HCV's genetic diversity and evolution.
Motivation:
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant threat to public health worldwide. The virus is highly variable and evolves rapidly, making it an elusive target for the immune system and for vaccine and drug design. At present, some 30 000 HCV sequences have been published. A central website that provides annotated sequences and analysis tools will be helpful to HCV scientists worldwide.
Results:
The HCV sequence database collects and annotates sequence data and provides them to the public via a website that contains a user-friendly search interface and a large number of sequence analysis tools, based on the model of the highly regarded Los Alamos HIV database. The HCV sequence database was officially launched in September 2003. Since then, its usage has steadily increased and is now at an average of approximately 280 visits per day from distinct IP addresses.
Availability:
The HCV website can be accessed via http://hcv.lanl.gov and http://hcv-db.org.
