SAN DIEGO, C.A. Jun. 13, 2012 - Interactive Biosoftware (IB) has introduced yet another upgrade to Alamut, the comprehensive mutation interpretation software used by leading research institutes around the world. The new upgrade, Alamut 2.2, features are especially useful for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis.
"The low-cost, high-volume information produced by high-throughput NGS techniques is overwhelming without the informatics capable of processing this data," said André Blavier, Founder and CEO of IB. "Most molecular genetic labs have adopted NGS technologies, and many are starting to use them for clinical testing-now that NGS is starting to be used routinely, Alamut 2.2's release is very timely."
The upgrade's advanced NGS alignment viewer can load and visualize BAM alignment files along with called variants in the same graphical interface.
"The NGS alignment viewer is fully integrated in the graphical interface, making it very powerful and user-friendly ," said Blavier.
Design of the integrated BAM viewer was influenced by the Broad Institute's Integrative Genomics Viewer. However, Alamut 2.2 adds new functionalities that make reviewing NGS alignments and called variants faster and easier.
"Quality control is critical and visually checking NGS alignments and variant calls has been a growing demand," said Francis Wolinski, Chief Technical Officer of IB.
Another new feature useful for NGS analysis is programmatic control of Alamut. The software now handles requests from external tools through a simple Application Programming Interface (API) based on HTTP.
"Any desktop software, including web browsers, can now invoke Alamut with requests such as: 'Display gene XYZ!' or 'Analyze this variation,'" said Wolinski.
Bioinformaticians and software vendors can easily piggyback on Alamut's visualization and interpretation capabilities with the API.
"This is important in the NGS era where multiple software tools are needed to assemble analysis workflows," said Wolinski.
Other new features in Alamut 2.2 include the integration of data from the NHLBI GO Exome Sequencing Project (ESP), and of the MutationTaster prediction tool from Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany.
"Previous versions of Alamut saved us time and greatly improved our efficiency," said Prof. Frebourg of Rouen University Hospital, France. "As we move forward with NGS, I am very eager to begin working with the upgraded version."
About Alamut:
Alamut is a decision-support software and client server application that integrates genetic information from different sources in one convenient environment to describe variants using HGVS nomenclature and help interpret their pathogenic status. Dedicated to mutation diagnostics, Alamut is used by clinical and research molecular laboratories worldwide. Alamut enables researchers to access data without in-house bioinformatics. The data is curated and reliable, and feedback shows that it increases users' confidence in their reports.
About Interactive Biosoftware:
Established in April 2007 and headquartered in Rouen, France, Interactive Biosoftware (IB) was founded by a group of medical and computer scientists focusing on practical software applications for health care and life sciences, particularly in the field of molecular biology. The company engineers and manufactures the world-renowned decision software, Alamut, which aids geneticists and researchers in interpreting mutations and variations in human genes. The software makes appropriate diagnostics, surveillance, and information-sharing between, and across, all tiers of human genome research. IB strives to play an active role in the process of understanding and finding solutions for society's most devastating diseases. For more information, please visit www.interactive-biosoftware.com, contact us at [email protected] , or call us at (619)-312-4444.