Cancer Charity’s Mobile Game to Further Gene Research

A British cancer organization is promoting a science-fiction smartphone game whose players will unwittingly provide data to researchers seeking to isolate genetic causes of the disease, Reuters and The New York Times write.

Play to Cure: Genes in Space, launched Tuesday by Cancer Research UK, essentially outsources to gamers the task of analyzing vast volumes of genetic data taken from tumor samples. Players pilot spaceships through a course of intergalactic hazards that is based on gene sequences from thousands of tumor samples, revealing patterns that are relayed back to scientists.

The charity says widespread use of the donor-supported game, developed last year at a “hackathon” involving developers and engineers from major tech firms, could slash the time it takes scientists to analyze genetic data and uncover faults that may play a role in producing cancers.