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A drug-gene interaction database (DGIdb) has been developed that integrates existing resources to create a vast, comprehensive repository that amounts to a search engine for disease genes. The database matches thousands of genes linked to cancer and other diseases with drugs that target those genes. Intended for researchers, the database does not recommend treatments.

The database is described online in the October 13 issue of Nature Methods, in a paper entitled "DGIdb: mining the druggable genome." According to the paper, the druggable genome can be defined as the genes or gene products that are known or predicted to interact with drugs, ideally with a therapeutic benefit to patients. The DGIdb, the paper adds, is designed to help researchers mine existing resources and thereby generate hypotheses about how mutated genes might be targeted therapeutically or prioritized for drug development.

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