Databases and Systems

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any comments or supporting material are forwarded to a science writer for authoring.
OMIM science writers are typically PhDs or MDs with training in genetics. They
read the articles and abstract the salient points in the paper. Importantly, the science
writers do not simply paraphrase the abstract, but instead add information from the
introduction and discussion sections of the citation that attempt to put the work in
context and provide sufficient background that a reader can understand the
significance of the work.
The Future of OMIM
Perhaps the best measure of a database is how often people use it. At the end of
1995 OMIM received about 4,000 user queries per week. By the middle of 1997,
OMIM received over 20,000 searches per week (2,200-2,400 unique users per day).
Unlike other databases whose growth will diminish as the human genomic sequence
is completed and the map locations of all genes are known with precision, OMIM is
likely to continue to grow at an expanded rate. The reason for this is that the windfall
of sequence will certainly identify tens of thousands of new genes that will become
the fodder for scientists world-wide. As the community reports information about the
function and medical significance of these sequences there will be an on-going need
to supplement OMIM with that knowledge.
In the near term, OMIM will continue to strengthen its ties to other databases so
that there will be a better correspondence of information from one to another. In
particular, OMIM will work closely with the HUGO Nomenclature Committee to be
certain that approved symbols and gene names are maintained more closely. OMIM
will also work with Unigene to assure that all OMIM entries are represented in the
Unigene database and that well documented genes from Unigene are included in
OMIM. A challenge to OMIM will be to maintain standards of authoritativeness,
thoroughness and timeliness as it deals with the increasing torrent of new genetic
discoveries. Ultimately we hope that OMIM will be seen as a Rosetta stone for the
genetics community allowing scientists, students and clinicians to easily obtain
relevant information from all pertinent sources on all human genes.
References
1. McKusick, V.A. Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Catalogs of Human Genes and
Genetic Disorders. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997 (12th
edition).
2. Altschul, S.F., Gish, W., Miller, W., Myers, E.W. and D.J. Lipman, J. Mol. Biol.
215,403-10 (1990).