Implementing WebGL and HTML5 in Macromolecular Visualization and Modern Computer-Aided Drug Design

Shuguang Yuan; H C Stephen Chan; Zhenquan Hu

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.03.009

Implementing WebGL and HTML5 in Macromolecular Visualization and Modern Computer-Aided Drug Design

Trends Biotechnol. 2017 Jun;35(6):559-571. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.03.009. Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Authors

Shuguang Yuan¹, H C Stephen Chan², Zhenquan Hu³

Affiliations

¹ Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCPPM, H B3 495 (Bâtiment CH), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: shuguang.yuan@gmail.com.
² Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK.
³ High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China.

PMID: 28413096
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.03.009

Abstract

Web browsers have long been recognized as potential platforms for remote macromolecule visualization. However, the difficulty in transferring large-scale data to clients and the lack of native support for hardware-accelerated applications in the local browser undermine the feasibility of such utilities. With the introduction of WebGL and HTML5 technologies in recent years, it is now possible to exploit the power of a graphics-processing unit (GPU) from a browser without any third-party plugin. Many new tools have been developed for biological molecule visualization and modern drug discovery. In contrast to traditional offline tools, real-time computing, interactive data analysis, and cross-platform analyses feature WebGL- and HTML5-based tools, facilitating biological research in a more efficient and user-friendly way.

Keywords: HTML5; WebGL; cloud computing; computer-aided drug design.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Drug Design*
Humans
User-Computer Interface*
Web Browser*