Researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), and game professionals collaborated to develop a videogame that will help advance research on cancer cells.

The game is called GENIGMA and consists of solving a puzzle. That puzzle has “a string of blocks of different colours and shapes. Each string represents a genetic sequence in the cancer cell line, and how players organise the blocks is a potential solution to the location of genes.”
The first step of the game consists of mapping the T-47D breast cancer cell line, a cell line frequently used in cancer research. The players’ data will help create the genomic reference maps.

The game launched on January 27, 2022, and gamers can now enter the #GenigmaChallenge. As mentioned by Oriol Ripoll, gamers will help advance medical research and learn about science simultaneously.