Chinese scientists develop DNA damage, repair atlas to control tumors

SHANGHAI, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have developed an atlas of high-throughput sequencing DNA damage and repair, which could help in promoting tumor prevention and treatment.

DNA damage and its improper repair are the major source of genomic alterations responsible for many human diseases, particularly cancer. However, a comprehensive database is still lacking despite the rapid accumulation of published datasets.

The researchers from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangzhou Medical University, have presented the DNA Damage Atlas (DDA), which is the first large-scale repository of DNA damage and repair information.

The new atlas features a standardized workflow comprising 6,030 samples from 262 datasets by 59 technologies, covering 16 species. It includes 10 types of damage and 135 treatments, according to the study published recently in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

It also offers a user-friendly interface that facilitates browsing, searching, genome browser visualization, hotspots comparison and data downloading.

DDA will stand as a valuable resource for research in genome instability and its association with diseases, said the researchers.