UNLABELLED: With the ubiquitous generation of complete genome assemblies for a variety of species, efficient tools for whole-genome alignment along with user-friendly visualization are critically important. Our VISTA family of tools for comparative genomics, based on algorithms for pairwise and multiple alignments of genomic sequences and whole-genome assemblies, has become one of the standard techniques for comparative analysis. Most of the VISTA programs have been implemented as Web-accessible servers and are extensively used by the biomedical community. In this manuscript, we introduce GenomeVISTA: a novel implementation that incorporates most features of the VISTA family--fast and accurate alignment, visualization capabilities, GUI and analytical tools within a stand-alone software package. GenomeVISTA thus provides flexibility and security for users who need to conduct whole-genome comparisons on their own computers. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Implemented in Perl, C/C++ and Java, the source code is freely available for download at the VISTA Web site: http://genome.lbl.gov/vista/.

Background Early detection of autism can improve the quality of life of affected individuals [1]. Qualitative screening methods continue to improve, but still suffer from low sensitivity despite increasing specificity [2,3]. In collaboration with the Hospital for Sick Children, we are sequencing the exomes of 1 000 individuals with autism in order to discover genetic variants associated with the disorder. Discovery of associated variants can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.