NCGR, USDA-ARS and CCGB Announce Collaboration to Initiate a Legume Information Network

SANTA FE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2005--The National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) announced that it has been awarded $225,000 by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the USDA for initial development of a Legume Information Network (LIN). NCGR will collaborate with USDA-ARS at Ames, Iowa, and the Center for Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics (CCGB) at the University of Minnesota to develop the network. LIN will integrate distributed and independent legume information resources and demonstrate the ability to answer specific questions, such as identification of allergens in legumes through comparative genomics.

Today's biological research is multidisciplinary and involves integration of many types of experimental information: genetic, genomic, transcript, proteomic, metabolic, and phenotypic. Biologists frequently work with information that is distributed across dozens of autonomous, Web-enabled, information resources. The proliferation of separate, independent, and often ephemeral information resources is a source of logistical frustration to biologists; they have to search multiple, often unlinked Web sites to find data, information, and analysis tools to support their research. The LIN will provide the necessary software infrastructure to support a single "portal" through which legume biologists can access data and analysis tools distributed across the Web.

Legume crops, such as beans, soybeans and peanuts, contribute more than $30 billion annually to U.S. agricultural productivity and are grown on more than 75 million acres in the United States. Furthermore, legumes are the primary sources of non-animal protein in the U.S. diet.

Construction of the LIN will be based on emerging middleware technology platforms such as BioMOBY to integrate existing information resources and analysis tools developed at NCGR and CCGB. A single interface for the researcher will enable the legume biologist to access these tools and data resources without having to "jump" among multiple Web sites. It will also provide mechanisms for other information resource providers to join the network.

About NCGR

NCGR is a non-profit research institute dedicated to improving human health and nutrition through collaborative research at the intersection of bioscience, computing and mathematics. NCGR has established a reputation for developing software that addresses the growing need to access, integrate and analyze research results generated at different locations, times, and with disparate biotechnologies. www.ncgr.org

About USDA-ARS

The Agricultural Research Service is the primary in-house scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ARS finds solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from field to table. ARS scientists collaborate with research partners from universities, companies, other organizations and other countries. Research is conducted at approximately 100 locations and is coordinated through National Research Programs. www.ars.usda.gov

About CCGB

Created in 1997, CCGB is a research and service organization at the University of Minnesota. The CCGB has focused on large-scale data analysis and integration, and on the development of interoperable environments. ccgb.umn.edu