Interactive Browser-Based Genomics Data Visualization Tools for Translational and Clinical Laboratory Applications

Abstract

Visualization-driven data exploration is a highly effective modality for interpreting and discovering insights from high-throughput genomics data sets; however, it is vastly underutilized in routine workflows in clinical and translation settings. We have developed three open-source, browser-based, interactive genomics data visualization widgets that can be used as intuitive stand-alone applications or integrated with existing web-based laboratory information solutions. The widgets were developed in JavaScript using the D3.js library. These widgets run in any modern web browser across desktop and mobile devices for easy accessibility but are designed for client-side data processing to address data privacy concerns. jsProteinMapper plots the location of a variant of interest relative to the protein domains and multiple variant databases, assisting with clinical interpretation of sequence variants. jsComut generates a highly interactive and customizable comutation plot for visual exploration of genomic data sets with clinicopathologic annotations to reveal unique molecular profiles and clinical correlates. jsCodonWheel is an interactive version of the ubiquitous circular codon-to-amino acid translation table, which lets users quickly map nucleotide changes onto resulting amino acid differences. These open-source visualization tools may improve some of the key laboratory workflows that involve the review of large-scale genomics data sets in a high-volume setting. The intuitive and responsive user interface, highly customizable visualizations, and easy integration with existing web-based laboratory software are significant highlights of these tools.