Play to Cure™: Genes in Space Launch

Great news, I've been waiting to post this for what feels like months but it's here at last. Guerilla Tea's project for Cancer Research UK and my first published project for the company has been launched at last.

Genes in Space is a relatively simple arcade, spaceship shooter with a twist, as you wind your way through dangerous fields of Element Alpha you're helping with real-life research into cures for cancer.

The Game

The game sees you manage, upgrade and navigate your own space ship through fields of a newly discovered substance called Element Alpha. Starting with just enough to upgrade your fins you must review navigational charts, highlighting the most dense routes through Element Alpha. Route planned you'll take off, following your route to maximise your income and upgrade your ship further, all while avoiding asteroid fields.

The Science

The important part, of course, is how this is all helping science, the answer lies in the route you take. The map of Element Alpha is known by another name to scientific researchers, gene microarray data and by planning a route through it (and flying through said route) you are analysing a sample and identifying the change points. By crowdsourcing this analysis we can get build up a picture over (hopefully) thousands of samples of data potentially finding a common link to types of cancer. That's the picture as well as I understand it.

Grab it now

Above all else, Genes in Space is a fun, free game available now for Android and iOS so play a few levels today, for Science, you monster!