Automated analysis of viral integration sites in gene therapy research using the SeqMap web resource

Research in gene therapy involving genome-integrating vectors now often includes analysis of vector integration sites across the genome using methods such as ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR) or linear amplification-mediated PCR (LAM-PCR). To help researchers analyze these sites and the functions of nearby genes, we have developed SeqMap (http://seqmap.compbio.iupui.edu/) a secure, web-based comprehensive vector integration site management tool that automatically analyzes and annotates large numbers of vector integration sites derived from LM-PCR experiments in human and model organisms upon a common genome database. We believe the use of this resource will enable better reproducibility and understanding of this important data.