DiscoverSL

DiscoverSL is a powerful tool that utilizes multi-omic cancer data to predict and visualize synthetic lethality in cancers. It combines mutation, copy number alteration, and gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project to develop a multi-parametric Random Forest classifier. This classifier identifies pairs of genes whose simultaneous deletion would be lethal to cancer cells but individually, their deletion does not affect them. The tool then tests the effect of selectively targeting these predicted synthetic lethal genes in silico using shRNA and drug screening data from cancer cell line databases. Finally, it evaluates the clinical outcomes of patients who have mutations in the primary gene and over or under-expressions in the synthetic lethal gene using Kaplan-Meier analysis. DiscoverSL is open source and available for download on GitHub under the GNU General Public License version 3.0. Users can access supplementary information through Bioinformatics Online.