Chinese researchers have developed an online database providing detailed, integrated biological data on domestic and wild dog species.

Named iDog, the online system was developed by the Beijing Institute of Genomics and the Kunming Institute of Zoology. It is an open and free platform for data services and online analysis tools on dog research.

The domestic dog is one of the most genetically diverse species in nature, providing a useful research model for many heritable human diseases.

With the development of genomics technology, more and more dog breeds have been analyzed, with their biological data such as gene expressions being released. However, there is a lack of databases providing integrated data for dogs.

The database incorporates a variety of dog data including genetic variation information generated from 127 re-sequenced domestic dog samples, 32,220 dog genes, dog diseases and genome sequence assemblies.

Besides providing a data service for dog research, the database also provides a user-friendly platform for dog lovers around the world to find information.

The researchers will keep updating the existing database, adding more data as it becomes available.(Xinhua)