Tangible mtDNA: A Tangible Tabletop System for Exploring Genetic Mutations on Mitochondrial DNA Cancer Data

Rapid growth in the volume of cancer DNA sequencing data has not been matched by an increase in our ability to understand, explore, and interpret this data. There is a need for new tools that can enhance analyses in order to enable us to interpret the data, discover new or unexpected information, and ultimately form insights. We present Tangible mtDNA, an active tangible and tabletop system that allows multiple users with diverse expertise to collaborate in exploring and understanding mitochondrial DNA sequencing data in breast cancer patients. Five expert biologists evaluated the system and found it to be effective for data exploration and useful in supporting understanding, collaboration and discussion of DNA datasets.