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The Leiden Open Variation Database is a free, flexible web-based open source database developed in the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, designed to collect and display variants in the DNA sequence. The focus of an LOVD is usually the combination between a gene and a genetic disease. All sequence variants found in individuals are collected in the database, together with information about whether they could be causally connected to the disease or not. Specialized doctors use LOVDs to diagnose and advise patients carrying a genetic disease. Ideally, if a patient has been screened for mutations and one has been found, information in LOVD can predict the progress of the disease.
In contrast to human genome databases, showing information on all DNA variants, LOVDs include information about the individuals in which the variants were found. This patient information is usually only accessible for registered users.
Currently, LOVD installations worldwide contain more than 515,500 variant observations in 162,000 patients.