NTDs2RDF: A heterogeneous and integrated knowledge graph for the exploration of neglected tropical diseases

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a heterogeneous group of 20 bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal conditions that generally occur in developing tropical countries in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. NTDs mainly affect poor populations that do not have access to safe water, sanitation, and high-quality healthcare. Because of the severe effects of NTDs (i.e., they can cause long-lasting disabilities), they reinforce the cycle of poverty in vulnerable communities.

The NTDs2RDF project aimed to create a knowledge graph (KG) of genes, proteins, metabolic pathways, gene ontologies, single nucleotide variants, drugs, and other relevant data for three NTDs (Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and African trypanosomiasis), integrating all the information in a single data structure that can be explored through a query interface implemented with a Streamlit web application. This software provides a user-friendly platform to extract information from the KG using SPARQL queries.

The project represents an initial step towards the creation of a heterogeneous database for different NTDs with several potential applications in advancing the understanding of NTDs biology and providing insights that cannot be obtained through alternative resources.