Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center at Indiana University

Project Summary The Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC) collects, curates, maintains and distributes genetically defined strains of the fly Drosophila melanogaster to support the biomedical research community. It is the largest and most comprehensive Drosophila stock collection in the world, and it is central to the success of many research projects—including over 830 active NIH grants. Effective use of BDSC stock resources requires that scientists have extensive information about the defined genetic components in stocks (e.g. mutations and chromosomal aberrations) and about the stocks themselves (e.g. provenance, experimental uses and care instructions). For decades, the BDSC has shared the task of providing stock information to scientists: FlyBase, the online knowledgebase, has archived and presented information about stock components in the context of the scientific literature while the BDSC has provided information about the stocks as objects. This arrangement has been efficient and effective, and most model organism stock centers have similar arrangements with their respective knowledgebases, but the recent, abrupt suspension of FlyBase funding is ending the longstanding, synergistic relationship between FlyBase and the BDSC. In recent years, NHGRI has undertaken an effort to consolidate seven model organism knowledgebases, including FlyBase, under a single umbrella organization, the Alliance of Genome Resources. Incorporation of these knowledgebases into a single database with a single website was to be completed by 2029. Abrupt termination of the FlyBase project early in this transition jeopardizes these consolidation efforts and will have devastating consequences for the BDSC and for biomedical researchers in general. In this proposal, the BDSC presents a collaborative plan to accelerate the transition of stock-associated FlyBase data to the Alliance and to reestablish functionalities that support stock distribution by the BDSC on the Alliance website. With these plans, the BDSC hopes to avoid the destabilizing effects of losing informational services integral to its operations.