AN ANALYTICAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR GENETICISTS

THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO PRODUCE AN ANALYTICAL DATABASE SYSTEM FOR GENETICISTS TO FACILITATE THE TASK OF COLLECTING, ORGANIZING, AND MAINTAINING DATA SPECIFIC TO THIS FIELD. MANY DISPARATE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF GENETIC DATA, BUT MOST REQUIRE COMPUTING AND GENETIC ANALYSIS EXPERTISE FOR THEIR USE, AND ALL REQUIRE THE GENETICIST TO DIRECT THE ANALYSIS STRATEGY APPROPRIATELY. EACH PROGRAM HAS DIFFERENT DATA REQUIREMENTS. TO FACILITATE GENETIC RESEARCH, DMS SYSTEMS, INC. HAS DEVISED SPECIAL UTILITIES IN THE GENISYS DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR STORING AND RETRIEVING FAMILIAL DATA. THIS SOFTWARE WILL BE INTERFACED WITH ANALYSIS PROGRAMS TO ALLOW PEDIGREE MANIPULATION AND ANALYSIS FUNCTIONS TO BE CALLED DIRECTLY FROM THE DATABASE SYSTEM. AN EXPERT SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE INTERFACED TO THE DATABASE SYSTEM SO THAT THE SYSTEM CAN USE PREDETERMINED STRATEGIES TO GUIDE THE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA. THE INTEGRATION OF A DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH GENETICUTILITIES, AN EXPERT SYSTEM, AND ANALYTICAL PROGRAMS WILL CREATE A NEW TOOL OF WIDE APPLICABILITY. THIS TOOL WILL BE OF CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN INSTITUTIONS FOCUSED ON MOLECULAR GENETICS, CLINICAL GENETICS, AND/OR GENETIC ANALYSIS. IT WILL HAVE BROADER APPLICATION AS THESE TECHNOLOGIES BECOME STANDARD DIAGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE PROCEDURES IN HOSPITALS, HMOS, AND PHYSICIANS' OFFICES.