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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
09:37
Navigating MARRVEL, a Web-Based Tool that Integrates Human Genomics and Model Organism Genetics Information
Published on: August 15, 2019
The Gene Wiki: community intelligence applied to human gene annotation
Jon W Huss1, Pierre Lindenbaum, Michael Martone
1Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
Nucleic Acids Research
|September 17, 2009
Summary
The Gene Wiki leverages Wikipedia's community intelligence to create and update comprehensive gene reviews. This collaborative approach addresses the limitations of traditional methods in annotating human gene functions.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
- Biomedical Literature Analysis
Background:
- Accurate human gene function annotation is crucial but challenging.
- Traditional centralized curation methods struggle to keep pace with biomedical literature growth.
- The Gene Wiki offers a complementary, community-driven approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe systematic improvements to Gene Wiki articles.
- To evaluate community engagement and article enhancement within the Gene Wiki platform.
- To demonstrate the utility and scalability of a Wikipedia-integrated gene annotation model.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Wikipedia's collaborative editing platform for gene-specific article creation.
- Implementing systematic improvements to enhance article content and utility.
- Analyzing community usage data and editor contributions to assess engagement.
- Leveraging community intelligence for continuous updating and review of gene information.
Main Results:
- Ongoing improvements have enhanced the utility of Gene Wiki articles.
- Retrospective analysis shows significant community usage and editor contributions.
- Evidence suggests a critical mass of users and editors actively improving gene information.
- Gene Wiki articles are freely accessible and continuously updated.
Conclusions:
- The Gene Wiki model effectively scales gene annotation by harnessing community intelligence.
- Wikipedia integration provides a sustainable platform for comprehensive and up-to-date gene information.
- This collaborative approach complements traditional methods, accelerating the understanding of human gene function.
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