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Category: Project

Description: Understanding the packing of long DNA strands into chromatin is one of the ultimate challenges in genomic research. An intrinsic part of this complex problem is studying the chromatin's spatial structure. Traditionally, experts reconstruct 3D models of chromatin from experimental data, yet the exploration and analysis of such 3D structures is limited in current genomic data visualization tools. To enhance this, we investigated the current options of immersive methods and designed a prototypical VR visualization tool for 3D chromatin models that leverages virtual reality to deal with the data spatiality, showcased in three primary use cases. First, we provide an overview of the overall 3D shape of the chromatin to facilitate the identification of regions of interest and their selection for further investigation. Second, we add data on epigenetic modifications along the sequence that influence gene expression, either as in-world 2D charts or overlaid on the 3D structure. Third, we include the option to export the selected regions and elements in the BED format, which can be loaded into most common analysis tools. We developed our application in collaboration with a domain expert and provided insights from an informal study with four other experts.