Wasabi visualises Ensembl genome browser data

Sequence data visualisation tool Wasabi, developed by Ari Löytynoja group in the Institute of Biotechnology, is now used by the world's largest genome browser Ensembl. Wasabi also works on mobile devices.

The latest release of the world's largest genome browser integrates , a data visualisation tool developed in the , for the display of comparative data.

Wasabi is an open source, web-based environment for evolutionary analysis and visualisation of sequence data. Similarly to mainstream web-apps such as Google Docs, Wasabi does not require any installation but runs inside a common web browser.

"Wasabi has been developed by doctoral student Andres Veidenberg since 2012. In addition to software development, focuses on comparative sequence analysis and genomics, and we use Wasabi for analysing and visualising our data. We are also involved in several genome projects and, for example, will offer data produced by the Saimaa ringed seal genome project via a database built around Wasabi," says group leader .

Ari Löytynoja describes Wasabi as an easy tool to send a copy of one's own data to a colleague or invite him/her to join the analysis.

"As the tool is a web-based, the data itself is not moving. You don't get attachments in numerous different formats, and the view for all parties stays the same. For those active in social media, a link to a Wasabi analysis, a short URL, is also easy to tweet."