EUCLIS--an information system for circadian systems biology

Area of Science:

• Systems Biology
• Chronobiology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Systems biology progress is hindered by a lack of integrated data and software infrastructure.
• Working biologists require direct access to and manipulation of biological techniques and data.
• The EUCLOCK project unites 34 chronobiology laboratories to study circadian clock entrainment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of an integrated information system for circadian systems biology.
• To create a flexible framework for community information needs in chronobiology.
• To establish a foundation for future integration with other biological systems.

Main Methods:

• Incremental development of key infrastructure components.
• Integration of a database for experimental data (Clock Experiments) and models (Clock Models).
• Implementation of a digital library (Clock KnowledgeBase) for the research community.

Main Results:

• The EUCLOCK Information System (EUCLIS) architecture integrates experimental data, models, and a digital library.
• EUCLIS V1.0 includes core Clock KnowledgeBase components: Clock Genes and Clock Library.
• The digital library paradigm offers a superior, flexible framework for community information needs.

Conclusions:

• The developed EUCLIS infrastructure addresses the need for data and software integration in systems biology.
• EUCLIS provides a flexible framework for chronobiology research, supporting experimental data, models, and knowledge sharing.
• Future work will focus on integrating database and digital library management functions for enhanced functionality.