An open-access online platform launched over the summer serves as both a repository and as a social network for researchers who want to share and discuss plasmids— circular DNA molecules that replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome and can serve as valuable tools for molecular biologists and genetic engineers.

MolecularCloud, launched by GenScript in July, allows users to search, view, order, and leave their feedback on thousands of plasmids currently available. GenScript plans to make more plasmids available in the near future.

“For scientists, they can share their plasmids onto the platform, and also, they can share their ideas, they can ask questions,” explained Lihua Zhang, Ph.D., senior product manager in charge of MolecularCloud in an interview with Scientific Computing/R&D Magazine. “We think we can connect everybody over the world; every scientist over the world. In every corner, or wherever they are, they can share their research with others.”

Zhang noted some challenges researchers may face while trying to obtain plasmids that others have published, such as not being able to get in touch with the plasmid author; emails go ignored, or listed contact information changes over time. The MolecularCloud social platform is meant to more easily connect more researchers in the field of molecular biology.

“The platform is more than a plasmid depository because we have some social functions, and for each plasmid, we have comments, and we have likes, and favorite functions,” said Zhang. “It’s very (much) like what we have on other social platforms like Twitter, or Facebook, or some other platforms. If they have questions about the plasmid, if they don’t know how to perform the experiment, they can ask questions, and if the result is good, they can comment.”

In addition to the ability to interact with other scientists, MolecularCloud offers search functions to help users narrow down what kind of plasmid they are interested in. Users can filter plasmids by depositor, plasmid type, application and bacteria growth features, among other things.

“We developed a tag system to help people find the plasmid they need. The tag system is a number of keywords defined by the functionality or application of that plasmid,” said Eric Wang, vice president of marketing at GenScript, in an interview with Scientific Computing/R&D Magazine. “We try to tag each plasmid with keywords that reflect how to use it or what it can be used for. That is going to help people to refine their search.”

Currently, there are about 2,000 plasmids available on the platform, with another 500 undergoing a quality control process before being added to the database. Additional sets of plasmids are also planned for launch in the near future.

“GenScript has about 21,000 CRISPR plasmids and libraries, and about 40,000 ORF clones in stock. These plasmids were developed before, and we are working on the material preparation to launch these plasmids in weeks,” a GenScript spokesperson told Scientific Computing/R&D Magazine.

Also in the works is integration with two other GenScript projects: the plasmid designing tool GenSmart Design, and a new platform for profiles of scientists who have shared their plasmids and work with the scientific community, called Cloud Scientist.

“They share their plasmids with them, so we want to make the community know who they are, and what kind of contributions they give for the entire community,” said Zhang. “Everybody who collaborates with MolecularCloud will have a detailed description page, and his or her contribution to biology, to the research community, will be listed there.”

“After we launch (Cloud Scientist), I think we will have more scientists come to us to deposit, to request plasmids, and in the future I think they will communicate with each other through the platform,” she added. “Since we have ordering, we have depositing, we also have plans to improve the process, the experience of depositing and ordering, because we need to make it user friendly.”

GenSmart Design allows users to make a plasmid or vector by dragging or dropping parts to form the design. Integration will allow users to make even more use of the plasmids made available by MolecularCloud, said Wang.

“We will make all the plasmids on MolecularCloud available to GenSmart Design. You don’t have to register for MolecularCloud at all separately,” Wang said. “You just need to log into your GenSmart Design tool, which is an online tool, and all the plasmids or genetic parts will be available from there, which makes it very easy for people to search and use whatever plasmid they need to build their own new construct. Currently, we have already done a little bit of integration, but it’s not fully integrated, so I think once MolecularCloud and GenSmart Design (are) fully integrated, it is going to be a big boost for people to utilize and to use all the plasmids that (have) been deposited somewhere online.”