FlyBase: A Drosophila Genomic and Genetic Database - Project Summary / Abstract For the past thirty years, FlyBase has provided a centralized resource for Drosophila genetic and genomic data to enable a community of over 4000 research laboratories to further their research. Drosophila is one of the premier model organisms that provides cost-effective help in elucidating the etiology of human genetic diseases. FlyBase provides expert curation, controlled vocabularies (ontologies), and community access to a broad array of Drosophila research data and resources, including genome annotations, transcriptomics data, information about mutant and transgenic fly stocks, and much more. The value of this information extends to the study of human health and disease. Future progress in functional genomics in Drosophila depends on FlyBase to keep up-to-date with the literature. To achieve these goals, FlyBase works closely with other model organism databases (MODs) and the Alliance of Genome Resources (Alliance). Our resource development plan has three Aims. Aim 1. Improve curation and data utilization. We will: 1) improve the efficiency of curation by assessing the priority of the curated data for the research community and focusing on the highest priority data, and improve the technical curation process; 2) utilize the time freed up by increased efficiency to add new data types to FlyBase to match new directions in the field; and 3) help the community make the best use of the data in FlyBase by providing integrated summaries, including visual representations, and improved searching. Aim 2: Maintain and strengthen the FlyBase ecosystem. FlyBase synergizes with a number of other databases in order to enhance access to Drosophila data and tools by the research community. These efforts help maximize the utility of resources at all sites and distribute high-quality curated information to multiple websites, tools, etc. Our collaborators include the Alliance, the EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas, the Virtual Fly Brain project, the DRSC Functional Genomics Resources, and the Gene Ontology Consortium. Aim 3: Harmonization and transfer of FlyBase data and processes into the Alliance. FlyBase is a founding member of the Alliance whose goals are to harmonize model organism and human data and make it accessible to a variety of users following FAIR plus 5 principles. We will further integrate actively curated Drosophila data and develop processes and tools to import and export these data to and from the Alliance. This effort will have a major impact on multiple research and clinical communities, including the fly community, by accelerating the development of integrative analyses and approaches for fly models of human diseases.
