A future, comprehensive CMap might expand in multiple dimensions. First, the number of small molecules profiled would increase to include much larger collections. Second, the genetic perturbations would include allelic series of important disease-associated genes. Third, future iterations of the CMap should explore new cell types including patient-derived iPS cells and genome-edited isogenic cell lines. Fourth, future expansion should include different types of perturbational read-outs (e.g., high content imaging, limited proteomic profiling). An important goal for the years ahead should be to establish which of these alternative data types are most complementary to transcriptional profiling.
