Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32005132›Full record

ArticleBMC bioinformatics2020

BigTop: a three-dimensional virtual reality tool for GWAS visualization.

Samuel T Westreich, Maria Nattestad, Christopher Meyer

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC bioinformatics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Samuel T WestreichDNAnexus, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA. swestreich@dnanexus.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3661-179X
Maria NattestadDNAnexus, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4796-2894
Christopher MeyerDNAnexus, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-3865

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) are typically visualized using a two-dimensional Manhattan plot, displaying chromosomal location of SNPs along the x-axis and the negative log-10 of their p-value on the y-axis. This traditional plot provides a broad overview of the results, but offers little opportunity for interaction or expansion of specific regions, and is unable to show additional dimensions of the dataset.

resultsWe created BigTop, a visualization framework in virtual reality (VR), designed to render a Manhattan plot in three dimensions, wrapping the graph around the user in a simulated cylindrical room. BigTop uses the z-axis to display minor allele frequency of each SNP, allowing for the identification of allelic variants of genes. BigTop also offers additional interactivity, allowing users to select any individual SNP and receive expanded information, including SNP name, exact values, and gene location, if applicable. BigTop is built in JavaScript using the React and A-Frame frameworks, and can be rendered using commercially available VR headsets or in a two-dimensional web browser such as Google Chrome. Data is read into BigTop in JSON format, and can be provided as either JSON or a tab-separated text file.

conclusionsUsing additional dimensions and interactivity options offered through VR, we provide a new, interactive, three-dimensional representation of the traditional Manhattan plot for displaying and exploring GWAS data.

Indexed as

Virtual RealityComputational BiologyGenomeGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansPolymorphism, Single NucleotideSoftwareUser-Computer InterfaceData interactionData plottingGWASManhattan plotUser InterfaceVirtual realityVisualization

Identifiers

PMID32005132
PMCPMC6995189

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.