Delta.AR: An Augmented Reality-based Visualization Platform for 3D Genome

Design and screenshot of Delta.AR

Many visualization tools have been developed for 3D genome data integration using two-dimensional (2D) devices such as PC monitors or smartphones. However, the 2D surface is only suitable for displaying linear data, and it has done little to inform our understanding of the complex interconnections between 3D genome architecture and its various associated -omics data. The breakthrough in immersive display technologies, e.g., virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has opened a completely new model for data visualization. Immersive visualization has proved a powerful way to enhance 3D structure-related research, e.g., protein structure and drug design. However, visualization in immersive mode, coupled with the integration of 3D genome and its associated -omics data, is challenging. Only a few attempts have been made for single features, e.g., Juicebox VR, which projects a Hi-C contact matrix into a virtual mountain field, and the WashU Epigenome Browser, which provides a 3D scene for epigenome tracks. A visualization tool for immersive integration of 3D genome architecture with high-dimensional -omics data has not yet been published.