# National Center for Biotechnology Information

> database arm of the US National Library of Medicine

**Wikidata**: [Q82494](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82494)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Center_for_Biotechnology_Information)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/national-center-for-biotechnology-information

## Summary
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is a research institute that serves as the database arm of the US National Library of Medicine. Established in 1988, it creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information.

## Key Facts
- Founded on November 4, 1988, as part of the US National Library of Medicine
- Located in Bethesda, Maryland (20894) at 8600 Maryland Route 355
- Operates public databases including GenBank, PubMed, and PubChem
- Employs approximately 62,781 social media followers as of February 2023
- Affiliated with Eugene Koonin, an American biologist and bioinformatician
- Part of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus
- Maintains over 60 sitelinks across various platforms and databases
- Coordinates with international research through its bioinformatics programs

## FAQs
### Q: What is the main purpose of NCBI?
A: NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information to advance science and health.

### Q: Where is NCBI located?
A: NCBI is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, at 8600 Maryland Route 355, on the NIH campus in Montgomery County.

### Q: What databases does NCBI operate?
A: NCBI operates major databases including GenBank for genetic sequences, PubMed for biomedical literature, and PubChem for chemical information, among others.

## Why It Matters
NCBI plays a crucial role in modern biomedical research by providing free access to vast amounts of genetic, molecular, and medical data. Its databases serve as essential resources for scientists worldwide, enabling research in genomics, drug discovery, disease understanding, and personalized medicine. By maintaining and curating these databases, NCBI helps accelerate scientific discovery and facilitates collaboration across the global research community. The center's computational tools and analysis platforms have become standard resources in laboratories worldwide, making complex genomic data accessible and interpretable for researchers at all levels.

## Notable For
- Houses GenBank, the world's largest repository of publicly available DNA sequences
- Develops BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), the most widely used bioinformatics tool for sequence comparison
- Maintains PubMed, providing free access to over 30 million biomedical citations
- Creates and maintains RefSeq, a comprehensive, integrated, non-redundant set of reference sequences
- Serves as the US node for the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration

## Body
### Mission and Structure
NCBI operates as a division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its primary mission involves creating automated systems for storing and analyzing knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. The center employs researchers, software developers, and data curators who work together to maintain and expand its database infrastructure.

### Core Databases and Resources
The center manages several critical databases that form the backbone of modern biological research. GenBank contains publicly available DNA sequences from over 200,000 organisms, while PubMed provides access to biomedical literature citations and abstracts. The Protein database aggregates sequences from various sources including GenBank, RefSeq, and PDB. Additionally, NCBI maintains specialized databases for gene expression, genetic variation (dbSNP), and chemical compounds (PubChem).

### Research and Development
Beyond database management, NCBI conducts original research in computational biology and develops advanced algorithms for analyzing biological data. The center's scientists work on problems ranging from sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis to protein structure prediction and genomic data visualization. Their research often results in new software tools that become industry standards, such as BLAST for sequence comparison and Cn3D for molecular structure visualization.

### International Collaboration
NCBI serves as the US representative in the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC), working alongside the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) and the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ). This collaboration ensures daily synchronization of genetic sequence data across all three major repositories, providing researchers worldwide with comprehensive and up-to-date access to genomic information.

### Technical Infrastructure
The center operates sophisticated computing infrastructure to handle the massive scale of biological data it manages. This includes high-performance computing clusters for sequence analysis, distributed database systems for data storage and retrieval, and web services that provide programmatic access to its resources. NCBI's systems process millions of database queries daily from researchers around the world.

### Educational and Outreach Activities
NCBI provides extensive educational resources including online tutorials, training materials, and workshops to help researchers effectively use its databases and tools. The NCBI Handbook serves as a comprehensive guide to the center's resources, while the NCBI Insights Blog provides updates on new features and capabilities. These educational efforts ensure that researchers can maximize the utility of NCBI's resources regardless of their computational expertise.

## References

1. GRID
2. HAL
3. ResearchGate
4. [Source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/home/about/structure/)
5. Oxford Reference
6. Research Organisation Registry
7. TXGnet: National Center for Biotechnology Information
8. [National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). EBSCO Information Services. 2023](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biotechnology/national-center-biotechnology-information-ncbi)
9. [The NCBI Handbook, 2nd edition. 2013](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143764/?report=reader)
10. Open Access Directory
11. [Source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/home/about/contact/)
12. GRID Release 2017-01-10
13. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
14. Virtual International Authority File
15. [Source](https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0022477/)
16. [Source](https://ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/about/)
17. [Source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
18. GRID Release 2015-12-14
19. GRID Release 2016-12-06
20. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
21. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): Overview | LinkedIn. LinkedIn