Watch a video about Genes in Space on YouTube
It’s been an ambitious and challenging project but the day to unveil it to the world has arrived.
We’re delighted today to launch Genes in Space – a unique and enjoyable game that you can download and play for free on your smart phone:
It’s a game, so first and foremost it’s fun to play – boring train journeys, queues for that gig or waiting for that friend who’s always late could be transformed into exhilarating space adventures.
But that’s not the exciting bit.
Well it is. But there’s more. Much more.
By downloading and playing this pioneering game, you will be taking part in research to help beat cancer. It might sound far-fetched, but it’s true.
We’ve been working with our scientists and gaming experts for months to build the game, which on the surface is a simple and entertaining caper through space. But underneath it’s a data crunching powerhouse that’s helping our scientists identify the DNA faults that could lead to cancer.
Here’s a little teaser of the game:
Element Alpha: real data
In the game, you take the helm of a spaceship to collect valuable and powerful ‘Element Alpha’. The stroke of genius is that in doing so you are actually helping our scientists to analyse piles of real life data.
That’s because the game is actually a fun interface to allow the public to assist our scientists in the serious business of spotting patterns in gigabytes of genetic information from thousands of tumours.
There’s lots more information about the fascinating science behind the game in this post. But in a nutshell, by finding the best route to pick up the most Element Alpha, you’re actually plotting a course through genuine ‘DNA microarray’ data.
Behind the scenes, the code of the game translates real microarray data like this…:
Microarray data
…into this:
Mapping a journey through space
No expertise required
The game’s ingenuity lies in its simplicity. Racking up the combined data crunching power of what we hope will be thousands of casual gamers will help our scientists spot the subtle patterns and peaks and troughs in the data, which correspond to DNA faults.
The power of Element Alpha is of course completely fictional, but the power of the data it represents could be exceptional. Our scientists will be trawling through the results as they come in and looking for crucial clues in the quest for new cancer treatments.
So what are you waiting for? Start collecting mysterious Element Alpha to help us solve the mystery of cancer sooner.
Download the game
Comments
Nick Peel May 6, 2014
Thank you all for playing Genes in Space and helping to beat cancer sooner! We’re aware of the problem on the Route Mapping screen and are working to fix this as soon as we can. In the meantime, you could try another way of analysing cancer data at http://www.cellslider.net while we get this fixed.
Nick Peel, Cancer Research UK
Donna May 5, 2014
I loved playing the game but now all I get is a blank screen on the route mapping & I can’t go any farther
Pete May 2, 2014
I emailed the developers about the blank screen problem. They said a number of people have reported it too. They’re working on a fix, so don’t give up just yet. :)
Jeff DunKley April 30, 2014
I like playing genes in space,but now it won’t let me route map.Can you please fix this.
kelly April 30, 2014
My map is also coming up blank :(
Mark April 29, 2014
Now v frustrated because I can’t play as Route Mapping screen is blank – help!
Tina April 28, 2014
Need a support page….When I get to the route mapping page, the window remains empty, I hear some beeps when I touch the screen, but the route mapping screen remains empty, touching play a second time and the game crashes. Playing on an iPhone 5S. I have deleted it the app and reloaded several times.
Gillen April 27, 2014
i have tried many times to play; i get the route mapping screen , push play , here a beep, then NO CHANGE. reset or back close the game.
Louise April 25, 2014
Brilliant idea but I do agree with better instructions and also it is not running right on the Galaxy Tab 3 – asteroids don’t show, is clunky and hard to do the flying bit – but love the idea and will continue to crunch data :)
Thorsten Brabetz April 25, 2014
Is there a support page? My game seems to have stopped downloading new DNA data. When I get to the “Route Mapping” page, the window remains empty, and the game crashes a short time later… Playing on an iPhone 5S.
Chris April 24, 2014
It’s OK but I have two serious questions. A human can see a peak and trough, a computer can be programmed to recognise more or less white space. So why don’t you just program a computer to do that? Secondly, Just give us the array to plot for you, we don’t need a game in the way slowing us down. Remember SETI’s app? Make a Desktop app that crunches the numbers for you. Millions would leave their Machines on to crunch the numbers if you’re lacking computing power.
Jah Rastafari April 24, 2014
Honest Question. Why cant a computer program be written to automatically draw these lines?
Peter Leinweber April 23, 2014
I’ve really been enjoying this game, and is an oncology nurse I really appreciate it even exists. If I were asking, I would request two things:
1) unless it plays some actual role in you crunching data I would like the option to turn the asteroid fields off. I enjoy the harvest much more, even if that means slower leveling.
2) the stability is very bad if the game is interrupted by any messaging or phone interruptions and usually requires logging all the way back in.
Danica April 23, 2014
I am loving this game! However, I would like to know the benefits of each upgrade and what a second ship does so I can weigh up the options of my purchases
User April 23, 2014
This needs to be on Windows phones too!
The idea is just too amazing
Stan April 23, 2014
I spend too much time playing mobile games and this one is fun. It’s nice to know that my time wasted isn’t actually wasted when I play this.
Kristine April 22, 2014
Hello! This is a great effort – well done!
I’m actually more interested in drawing lines through the data instead of flying my spaceship and shooting asteroids, etc.
Is it possible of publishing an app that features just the Route Mapping screen? It’ll be much quicker and gentler on my phone without the game portion!
Thank you!
Daniel April 22, 2014
It would be cool if you could improve the instructions on app, needed to google this page so i could find that the valuable things were the peaks and changes on the route mapping/dna microarray, and maybe a way to re read the improved instructions, but well, the effort is great, love you guys.
Marcus April 22, 2014
Well port it for PC or develop something equivalent (probably better) and i will play the heck out of it. I guess the progress of research could be significantly increased in this way since calculations can be done much faster on for example CUDA architecture or even a simple dual/quad core processor.
Lugia kane April 11, 2014
Why cant this game be on blackberry world as i have playbook shame really none for windows or mac shame lugia kane
Owl April 5, 2014
Cool idea to use gamer’s energy to develop science! :-)
Can you add some more description of what does upgrade of different parts improove? And add some numbers characteristics of upgrades (like 1st lvl gun – 1 shots/sec, 2nd lvl gun – 1.5 shots/sec)
And add, pls, “are you sure?” dialog when pressing Reset button on the mapping window. (Had pressed it several times ocasionaly)
PlayerSlotAvailable March 31, 2014
This is a great idea, the game is fun and looks good.
My only recommendation is that if it were possible, bring out a non ‘game’ version, allowing the microarray data to be scanned even faster. It is my believe that although the game is enticing , the ship upgrades and asteroid field is time consuming and unnecessary.
Kat Arney March 31, 2014
Thanks for your feedback – it’s really useful and our developers are taking all of it on board.
Kat
geri March 28, 2014
Too difficult for me to figure out how to play it from the instructions given.
Dave Tavener March 21, 2014
Can you make it available on normal pc running windows
.? June 22, 2014
Played 2 games and deleted it, didn’t understand what I was doing couldn’t find a tutorial. On my first attempt I put loads of markers down, are these supposed to be what you fly through?
The spaceship flight bit seemed pointless and tedious, are you supposed to run out of bullets and fly into the white bits? I ran out of bullets and kept hitting asteroids.
How do you sift out little kids or simple adults like me who haven’t got a clue what they are supposed to be doing and tapping the screen like mad from useful data?