The Wikipedia of blood cell types

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have developed an online database that maps the expression of the body’s 20,000 genes in 54 different blood cell types.

Said to be like Wikipedia for blood cell types, ‘Haemopaedia’ is supported by a web portal called Haemosphere. It allows users to access, analyse and cross-reference their research data and is freely available to the public as well as the scientific community.

“Our blood cells hold critical clues about our bodies in health and in disease,” said Dr Carolyn de Graaf, who led the research team in the development of the database.

“This resource will help scientists across the world to discover patterns of gene expression that show how particular cells may be targeted by drugs.”

“Having a set of easy-to-use online tools aimed at a diverse range of researchers in the field adds enormous value to the resource,” added Dr Jarny Choi, who developed Haemosphere.

The researchers describe their work in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The database can be accessed through http://www.haemosphere.org/.