Development of a database with web-based user interface for taqman assay design

TaqMan RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) is a technique used to measure the relative gene expression in a biological sample and is one of the core technologies used by the Molecular Pathology and Toxicology (MPT) Group at GlaxoSmithKline. Conducting TaqMan experiments is a complex process which involves the design of a TaqMan assay specific to a gene of interest. A wealth of data has been generated during assay design, but systems are not currently available to readily share this data within the MPT group. There is a need for a central data storage repository so that data associated with assay design can be organised efficiently and rapidly accessed. Experiments are conducted within limited timeframes and resource is often limited so this would be of great benefit to the MPT group. This thesis describes the development of a database to house data associated with TaqMan assay design, software to populate the database with minimal user interaction and a web based CGI application for members of the MPT group to query and submit data to the database. Finally, the output from testing the software is provided and discussed.