Phantasus: An Interactive Web Application for Comprehensive Gene Expression Analysis and Visualization

Core Concepts

Phantasus is a user-friendly web application that integrates an intuitive JavaScript-based heatmap interface with powerful R-based analysis methods, enabling seamless gene expression analysis from data loading to downstream insights.

Abstract

Phantasus is a web application developed for interactive gene expression analysis. It combines a JavaScript-based heatmap interface with an R-backend to provide a comprehensive analysis pipeline. Key features include:

Data Loading: Phantasus supports loading gene expression data from various sources, including direct access to over 84,000 public datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

Data Preprocessing: The application offers tools for data normalization, filtering, and aggregation, allowing users to perform thorough quality control and prepare the data for downstream analysis.

Exploratory Analysis: Phantasus provides interactive visualization and analysis methods, such as principal component analysis, clustering, and sample/gene profiles, to help users explore the data and identify patterns.

Differential Expression: The application integrates R-based differential gene expression analysis using limma and DESeq2, enabling users to identify genes with significant changes between sample groups.

Downstream Analysis: Phantasus seamlessly integrates with external tools like Enrichr and Shiny GAM for pathway enrichment and metabolic network analysis, allowing users to gain deeper biological insights.

Interactivity and Sharing: The JavaScript-based interface offers a highly interactive experience, allowing users to manipulate data, annotations, and visualizations directly in the web browser. Phantasus also supports session sharing, enabling collaborative work and publication-ready data presentations.

Deployment Options: Phantasus can be accessed online through official mirrors or installed locally as an R package or Docker image, providing flexibility for users.

Overall, Phantasus aims to simplify the gene expression analysis workflow by integrating an intuitive user interface with powerful R-based computational methods, making it accessible to both domain experts and users with limited programming experience.

Stats

Phantasus provides access to over 84,379 gene expression datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.
Phantasus supports 49,666 microarray datasets based on 2,767 platforms, with 39,689 datasets having machine-readable annotations.
The RNA-seq dataset subset consists of 34,713 datasets, with data sourced from the ARCHS4 and DEE2 databases.

Quotes

"Phantasus integrates an intuitive and highly interactive JavaScript-based heatmap interface with an ability to run sophisticated R-based analysis methods."
"Phantasus allows to go all the way from loading, normalizing and filtering data to doing differential gene expression and downstream analysis."

Key Insights Distilled From

Phantasus: web-application for visual and interactive gene expression analysis

by Kleverov,M.,... at www.biorxiv.org 12-12-2022

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.10.519861v1

Deeper Inquiries

How can Phantasus be extended to support additional data types or analysis methods beyond the current capabilities

Phantasus can be extended to support additional data types or analysis methods by incorporating new functionalities through the development of custom R packages. These packages can be integrated into Phantasus to expand its capabilities in handling different data formats or implementing advanced analysis methods. By leveraging the flexibility of R and the modular architecture of Phantasus, researchers can create and integrate their own analysis tools or data processing algorithms tailored to specific research needs.
Furthermore, Phantasus can enhance its support for additional data types by establishing connections with more external databases or repositories. By expanding the sources from which it can retrieve data, Phantasus can offer users a wider range of datasets for analysis. This can involve collaborating with other data providers or developing plugins that allow seamless integration of diverse data sources into the platform.

What are the potential limitations or challenges in maintaining a comprehensive database of public gene expression datasets, and how can Phantasus address these issues

Maintaining a comprehensive database of public gene expression datasets poses several potential limitations and challenges. One major challenge is the dynamic nature of data repositories like NCBI GEO, where new datasets are continuously added, and existing ones are updated or removed. Keeping up-to-date with these changes requires regular monitoring and updating of the database within Phantasus to ensure that users have access to the most current and relevant data.
Another challenge is the diversity of data formats and quality standards across different datasets. Ensuring data consistency and reliability within the database can be a significant task, especially when dealing with a large volume of heterogeneous data. Phantasus can address these issues by implementing robust data validation processes, standardizing data formats, and providing tools for data quality control and normalization.
Additionally, the scalability of the database infrastructure and the efficient management of storage and computational resources are crucial considerations. As the database grows in size and complexity, optimizing data retrieval, storage, and processing mechanisms becomes essential to maintain the platform's performance and responsiveness. Phantasus can address these challenges by implementing efficient data indexing, caching strategies, and distributed computing techniques to handle large datasets effectively.

Given the increasing importance of reproducibility and transparency in scientific research, how can Phantasus be further developed to facilitate the sharing and reuse of gene expression analysis workflows and findings

To facilitate the sharing and reuse of gene expression analysis workflows and findings, Phantasus can be further developed with enhanced collaboration and sharing features. One approach is to implement version control mechanisms that allow users to track changes in their analysis pipelines, revert to previous versions, and collaborate with colleagues in real-time. By integrating versioning tools like Git or providing built-in version control functionalities, Phantasus can promote reproducibility and transparency in research workflows.
Moreover, Phantasus can incorporate features for exporting analysis results in standardized formats such as ISA-Tab or BioPAX, making it easier for researchers to share their findings with the scientific community. By supporting common data exchange standards, Phantasus can facilitate data interoperability and enable seamless integration with other analysis platforms or databases.
Furthermore, the development of a user-friendly interface for sharing analysis workflows, visualizations, and results can enhance the usability of Phantasus as a collaborative research tool. Implementing features for creating and sharing interactive reports, embedding analysis pipelines in publications, or generating shareable links to specific analysis sessions can promote transparency and reproducibility in gene expression studies.