Recently, the "Top Ten Advances in CAS Cyberspace in 2023" organized by the Bureau of Science and Technology Basic Capabilities of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was announced in Beijing. After recommendations from CAS institutes and expert reviews, the project of the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, "Integrative Construction of an Authoritative Non-Coding RNA Data System, Shaping International Influence" was among the top ten.
This project, led by CAS academician Rensheng Chen and researcher Shunmin He of the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, systematically updated and integrated a series of authoritative international data resources related to non-coding RNA that the team has been working on for nearly two decades, and constructed an authoritative non-coding RNA data system with more than 300 million annotated entries, further consolidating and enhancing the authority and international influence of this database in the field.
Over the past two decades, the team has developed and maintained several databases related to non-coding RNA, including the NONCODE database, the piRBase database, and the NPInter database, which have become internationally renowned databases with a significant impact. With a large amount of data, strong comprehensiveness, and extensive coverage, the databases have been of high quality for a long time, and each database is at the international leading or first-class level in their respective fields. In the past two years, the team has further systematically and comprehensively updated and integrated these authoritative international non-coding RNA-related databases, making them more comprehensive, with more complete data types and user-friendly features, while maintaining the leading edge of non-coding databases. The team has also integrated genomic variation data of Chinese and global populations, building an integrated annotation platform for non-coding RNA and variations.
Meanwhile, the team actively participates in the RNAcentral Annual Online Conference organized by the International RNA Database Consortium and makes presentations to introduce the progress of the databases, continuing to expand the international influence of the team's databases and promoting international exchange and cooperation with the databases as a platform. In terms of promoting informatization, the piRBase database participated in the "Blue Book of Scientific Information in China 2022" and published an article titled "Construction and Current Status of the International Authoritative PIWI Protein Interaction RNA Database Resource Platform." In 2023, the team completed the writing and application of two non-coding RNA-related group standards: "Non-coding RNA Annotation Standard" and "Long Non-coding RNA and Protein Interaction Annotation Standard." The construction of authoritative non-coding RNA databases will provide more effective support for basic scientific research, clinical disease research, and drug development.
Image courtesy of the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
