shazino

Introducing Plasmid.io

Tuesday, 25 June 2013 in Plasmid.io by Astrid Pellieux

Start-up Shazino has released Plasmid.io, an iPhone/iPad/Mac application designed to help scientists get, manage, and share their plasmids wherever they are.

Download Plasmid.io for Mac OS X on the Mac App Store.
Download Plasmid.io for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the App Store.

Plasmids are DNA molecules mainly found in bacteria. Distinct from the chromosomal DNA and capable of self-replication, they are important tools in biotechnology where they are used to transfer, express, and replicate particular genes. To do so, scientists need to know all the components (genes, promoters, etc) of a plasmid and their exact location on it. Plasmid.io is an iPhone, iPad and Mac OS X application which allows scientists to manage their plasmid database wherever they are.

OS X screenshot

With Plasmid.io, scientists can edit their own plasmid DNA sequences or import them from GenBank, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) genetic sequence database. Each component of a plasmid can be delimited and annotated. In fact, it is possible to specify its name, its final product, and any other needed information (accession number, etc.). Plasmid.io also allows scientists to add all literature references related to the plasmid. Moreover, the app displays all restriction sites available in the plasmid DNA sequence. Finally, with all those information, Plasmid.io creates a map of the plasmid to facilitate the data visualization.

iPad screenshot

Plasmid.io is also an app dedicated to improve the communication between scientists. Each data can be shared by email in the form of a PDF or FASTA file. Moreover, PDF files can be directly uploaded to the Mendeley library. To help them share their plasmids, Plasmid.io also give scientists the possibility to make each one of their listed plasmids public or not. Public plasmids are visible by all Plasmid.io users which can request them.

For more information:
Dr Julien Thérier, CEO/Founder, Shazino: julien.therier@shazino.com, +33 672 649 239
Plasmid.io website: plasmid.io
Twitter: @Plasmid_io

Image Credit: PlaceIt