New genomics software advances cancer research
26 June 2025
A new tool – seen as the Google Earth for genomics - will transform how scientists visualise and analyse genomic data, advancing cancer research techniques.
Dr Kez Cleal, Lecturer in Cancer Bioinformatics, School of Medicine unveiled Genome-Wide (GW), a new software that will allow researchers to explore massive datasets with unprecedented speed, processing 100 times faster than existing tools.
Dr Cleal said: “This breakthrough is particularly important in cancer research, where understanding large-scale structural changes in the genome is key to unlocking the mechanisms behind the disease."
With GW, we’re able to dynamically visualise genome-scale changes, giving us the ability to explore and understand complex genetic structures in ways that were not possible before. This opens the door to more efficient cancer research, helping us to quickly identify genetic changes of interest in the cancer genome.
Current genome browsers are invaluable for exploring genetic changes but lack the speed offered by high-performance libraries and frameworks. In particular, current tools struggle to visualise large genomic regions which is vital in understanding complex genetic rearrangements.
The GW software enables real-time observation of genetic changes, speeding up crucial research tasks.
Dr Cleal’s team is now focusing on developing diagnostic tools to help identify and categorise patients with abnormal genomic structures, and investigating the biological mechanisms driving these changes. Their ultimate aim is to explore new ways to target these processes for cancer treatment.
“Understanding the genetic changes that underlie cancer is vital in finding new cancer diagnoses, risk identification, and treatments for the future. Genome-Wide provides a step forward in tools that can help researchers gain a deeper understanding of the genetics of cancer,” added Dr Cleal.
The paper, GW: ultra-fast chromosome-scale visualisation of genomics data, was published in Nature Methods, and was funded by Cancer Research UK and the Wales Cancer Research Centre.
