Please cite this paper as: Squires et al. (2012) Influenza research database: an integrated bioinformatics resource for influenza research and surveillance. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(6), 404–416.BackgroundThe recent emergence of the 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus has highlighted the value of free and open access to influenza virus genome sequence data integrated with information about other important virus characteristics.DesignThe Influenza Research Database (IRD, http://www.fludb.org) is a free, open, publicly-accessible resource funded by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through the Bioinformatics Resource Centers program. IRD provides a comprehensive, integrated database and analysis resource for influenza sequence, surveillance, and research data, including user-friendly interfaces for data retrieval, visualization and comparative genomics analysis, together with personal log in-protected ‘workbench’ spaces for saving data sets and analysis results. IRD integrates genomic, proteomic, immune epitope, and surveillance data from a variety of sources, including public databases, computational algorithms, external research groups, and the scientific literature.ResultsTo demonstrate the utility of the data and analysis tools available in IRD, two scientific use cases are presented. A comparison of hemagglutinin sequence conservation and epitope coverage information revealed highly conserved protein regions that can be recognized by the human adaptive immune system as possible targets for inducing cross-protective immunity. Phylogenetic and geospatial analysis of sequences from wild bird surveillance samples revealed a possible evolutionary connection between influenza virus from Delaware Bay shorebirds and Alberta ducks.ConclusionsThe IRD provides a wealth of integrated data and information about influenza virus to support research of the genetic determinants dictating virus pathogenicity, host range restriction and transmission, and to facilitate development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

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Freshly stocked with members, the Sentencing Commission has the opportunity to push federal sentencing in the right direction. The Commission should press Congress to abolish mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Such provisions prevent judges from imposing individualized sentences, transfer authority from neutral judges to partisan prosecutors, and generate racial and economic disparities, with no particular crime control benefits. While bipartisan support for sentencing reform appears to be growing, “law enforcement lobby” (comprised of prosecutors, prison guards, and police unions) poses a substantial obstacle to significant change. Prosecutors often resist changes that would reduce their bargaining power and corrections officials and others with a stake in prison expansion often support mandatory sentencing laws. The Commission should use its influence to serve as a counterweight to this lobby, recommending changes to Congress that promote individualized sentencing. The Commission should also address the issue by holding hearings around the country and by working with community groups, scholars, and other interested parties. Such actions are entirely consistent with the Commission’s statutory mission and have the potential to make a real difference in improving the fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency of our criminal justice system. What is needed is a full court press.