Last updated: October 27, 2026
Please read these Terms and Conditions ("Terms") carefully before using the Service.
These Terms and Conditions govern Your access to and use of sigscape ("the Service"), the website at sigscape.org and the in-browser sigscape studio. sigscape is an open-source software hub and documentation site for tools that detect, classify, and explore somatic mutational signatures in cancer, developed and maintained by the Park Lab and the Gülhan Lab at the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, and operated by the President and Fellows of Harvard College ("the Company", "We", "Us", or "Our").
By accessing or using the Service You agree to be bound by these Terms. If You disagree with any part of these Terms, You may not access the Service.
The words whose initial letters are capitalised have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.
These Terms set out the rights and obligations of all users regarding the use of the Service. Your access to and use of the Service is conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service.
Your access to and use of the Service is also subject to Our Privacy Policy, which describes how information is handled when You use the Service. Please read Our Privacy Policy carefully before using the Service.
You represent that You are over the age of 16. The Company does not permit those under 16 to use the Service.
sigscape is an academic resource that (i) presents information, documentation, and links for open-source mutational-signature software, and (ii) provides the sigscape studio, a browser-based workspace for visualizing and exploring mutational spectra and signature exposures.
The Service does not require You to create an account, sign in, or register. There are no user accounts, logins, purchases, subscriptions, or paid features within the Service.
While the studio is in preview, its basic functions (plotting a spectrum, browsing an exposure table, tallying a variant file) are open to everyone, and its remaining functions open with an invitation: a link the sigscape team issues to an e-mail address on request. An invitation is not an account. It is a signed token that names the invited address and its issue date; Your browser verifies it against a public key embedded in the page and keeps it in its local storage. No server is contacted to check it, and nothing about You is recorded when You use it. An invitation is personal to the address it names and is not to be passed on; We may withdraw one, or end the preview, at any time.
All analysis in the studio runs locally in Your web browser. Files You load into the studio are read and processed entirely on Your own Device using standard browser APIs and are never uploaded to, transmitted to, received by, or stored on Our servers. The studio also ships with a small set of example datasets, provided solely for demonstration, and with reference data (per-tumor mutation counts of the PCAWG study, trinucleotide counts and target intervals of common assays), all derived from published or publicly released data.
One exception concerns reference genomes. To turn a variant file into a mutational spectrum, the studio's Tally function needs the two bases around each mutation. If You bind a reference genome of Your own (a FASTA with its index, or a 2bit file, on Your Device or in the Local Runner's workspace), those bases are read from it and nothing leaves Your Device. If You do not, Your browser reads them from the hg19 and hg38 genome files published by the UCSC Genome Browser (University of California, Santa Cruz), by requesting small byte ranges of those files. The file, its alleles, sample names and every other field stay on Your Device, but the byte ranges requested correspond to the genomic positions looked up, so UCSC's servers can infer which positions were queried. Bind Your own reference genome if Your data must not reveal mutation positions to a third party.
Some functions of the studio (MuTopia, MuSiCal, Tau and SigMA2) run the actual software packages rather than a rendering of their output. For those, the studio connects to sigscape-daemon (“the Local Runner”), an open-source program that You install and run on Your own Device. The Local Runner listens only on Your Device's loopback address, authorizes the studio page with a token it generates at each start, installs the packages into environments on Your Device, runs them on Your files, and keeps their results, Your session state and any data You place in its workspace folder on Your Device. Neither Your files nor the results are transmitted to Us. The Local Runner contacts third-party services only to download software: the packages themselves (from GitHub, PyPI, conda channels, Docker Hub or Zenodo, as each package publishes itself) and its own releases from GitHub, the latter using a GitHub credential present on Your Device if the release repository is private. When it starts, and when You ask it to check for new tool versions, the Local Runner fetches the list of tool versions this site publishes (/runner/tools.json); that request carries no data about You or Your files. Tool versions You install are kept on Your Device until You remove them in the studio. The Local Runner is also offered as a container image from GitHub's container registry (ghcr.io); run that way, it starts MuTopia's container through the Docker installation on Your Device, which is why it is given access to Docker's socket.
The Service is provided at no charge for non-commercial academic research and educational purposes. Commercial use requires a separate license (see “Commercial Use Requires a License” below).
The Software documented on the Service (including MuTopia, SigMA, SigMA2, MuSiCal and Tau) consists of independent open-source projects distributed through third-party channels such as GitHub, PyPI, Bioconda, Docker Hub, Zenodo and CRAN. Your use of any item of the Software is governed by the open-source license that accompanies it, not by these Terms. The Local Runner, sigscape-daemon, is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later; it installs the Software on Your Device under each package's own license when You first run it.
Where these Terms and an item's own open-source license both apply to materials on the Service, that license governs the item's source code and the rights it expressly grants. Nothing in these Terms is intended to limit rights granted to You under an applicable open-source license.
We make no representation that the Software is fit for any particular purpose, and We provide it and its documentation on the same “as is” basis described under “Disclaimer of Warranties” below.
THE SERVICE AND ALL DATA, RESULTS, VISUALIZATIONS, AND INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH IT — INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT OF THE STUDIO — ARE INTENDED FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY (RUO). THEY ARE NOT INTENDED FOR, AND MUST NOT BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR, CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING, MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, PATIENT TREATMENT, OR ANY OTHER CLINICAL APPLICATION.
Any results or insights derived from the Service should be independently validated through appropriate experimental and/or clinical methods before being relied upon in any clinical, diagnostic, or therapeutic context.
Example data presented in the Service is derived from published or publicly released datasets. While We make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy, We do not guarantee the completeness, correctness, or currency of any data, annotations, signature assignments, or analytical results displayed or computed in the browser.
You retain all rights in any files or data You load into the studio. Because that processing happens entirely within Your browser, the Company neither receives nor stores Your data and acts as neither a controller nor a processor of it.
You are solely responsible for ensuring that You have the right to use any data You load into the studio, and for complying with all consents, approvals, and laws (including data-protection and human-subjects regulations) that apply to that data. Do not load data You are not authorised to use.
A share link made in the studio carries the inputs of the view it reopens inside the link itself. Sharing such a link discloses those inputs to everyone who receives it; You are responsible for sharing only data You are allowed to disclose.
Data You load persists in Your browser's session storage for the duration of Your session. When the Local Runner is connected, the studio also saves Your session (the parsed records, open tabs and selections, and the names of files already uploaded to the runner) to the Local Runner's workspace folder on Your Device, so that You can close the page and find Your work again; uploaded files and every run's results are kept in that folder as well. None of this is synchronised with, backed up by, or recoverable from Us. You are responsible for retaining Your own copies of any inputs and outputs, and for the security of the Device on which the Local Runner's workspace lives.
The Local Runner executes the Software on Your Device with Your user's permissions, on the files You give it. You are responsible for what You run it on, for the Device and network it runs on, and for keeping it current; the studio tells You when a newer release is available.
The Service and its contents — including the sigscape name, logos, visual design, graphical assets, curated text, example datasets, and the website's own source code (except components released under a separate open-source license) — are and will remain the property of the Company and its licensors, protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable laws of the United States and foreign countries.
You may not use Our trademarks, trade dress, or branding in connection with any product or service without the prior written consent of the Company. This restriction does not affect any rights expressly granted to You under an applicable open-source license.
Subject to these Terms, the Company grants You a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use the Service for non-commercial academic research and educational purposes. This includes:
For the avoidance of doubt, "non-commercial" means use that is not intended for, or directed toward, commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Use by employees of a for-profit entity is considered commercial use unless it is conducted solely for the purpose of peer-reviewed academic research with no direct commercial application. Use of the Software remains governed by the respective open-source licenses.
Any commercial use of the Service, its website source code, example data, visualizations, or any derivative work is prohibited without a separate written license agreement from the Company. Commercial use includes, but is not limited to:
This section governs the Service. Commercial use of an item of the Software is instead governed by that item’s open-source license. To inquire about a commercial license for the Service, please contact the Company at the address in the "Contact Us" section below, or the Harvard Office of Technology Development (https://otd.harvard.edu).
If You use data, results, or visualizations from the Service — or any item of the Software documented on it — in academic publications, presentations, or other scholarly works, You agree to cite the relevant publications as indicated on the Service or in that item's documentation. Proper attribution is a condition of the permitted academic use described above and supports the continued development and funding of these resources.
We welcome feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and ideas ("Feedback") about the Service. By submitting Feedback — whether via email, GitHub issues, or any other channel — You grant the Company a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, distribute, and otherwise exploit the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose without acknowledgement, compensation, or obligation to You. Feedback is considered non-confidential.
You agree not to use the Service:
The Service contains links to third-party websites and resources (including GitHub repositories, package registries such as PyPI, Bioconda, and CRAN, published papers, and external laboratory websites) that are not owned or controlled by the Company. The Company has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, licenses, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any part thereof) at any time, with or without notice, for any reason. We shall not be liable to You or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.
We may update the content, documentation, example data, or features of the Service at any time without prior notice. Such updates may change the results or information previously displayed.
We do not guarantee that the Service will be available at all times. The Service may be subject to downtime for maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond Our control.
We may terminate or suspend Your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if You breach these Terms. Upon termination, Your right to use the Service will cease immediately.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITH ALL FAULTS AND DEFECTS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE COMPANY, ON ITS OWN BEHALF AND ON BEHALF OF ITS AFFILIATES AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LICENSORS, FACULTY, RESEARCHERS, STAFF, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS, EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.
WITHOUT LIMITATION TO THE FOREGOING, THE COMPANY PROVIDES NO WARRANTY OR UNDERTAKING, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND, THAT: (I) THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR ACHIEVE ANY INTENDED RESULTS; (II) THE DATA, RESULTS, SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENTS, OR ANALYTICAL OUTPUTS WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, OR CURRENT; (III) THE SERVICE WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE, SYSTEMS, OR SERVICES; (IV) THE SERVICE WILL OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR ERROR; OR (V) ANY ERRORS OR DEFECTS CAN OR WILL BE CORRECTED.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain types of warranties or limitations on applicable statutory rights, so some or all of the above exclusions may not apply to You. In such cases, the exclusions and limitations shall be applied to the greatest extent enforceable under applicable law.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, FACULTY, RESEARCHERS, STAFF, LICENSORS, OR SERVICE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR OTHER INFORMATION, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, PERSONAL INJURY, LOSS OF PRIVACY, OR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF THE COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL ACADEMIC USE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE COMPANY'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED ZERO DOLLARS ($0.00 USD). IF YOU HAVE ENTERED INTO A SEPARATE COMMERCIAL LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH THE COMPANY, LIABILITY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THAT AGREEMENT.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, in which case each party's liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its Affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, faculty, researchers, employees, agents, licensors, and service providers from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) Your use of the Service; (ii) any violation of these Terms by You; (iii) any data You load into or process with the studio, including any rights, consents, or laws applicable to that data; (iv) any use of results or information obtained from the Service, including any clinical or diagnostic application thereof; or (v) any violation of applicable law by You.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding arising under or relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Boston, Massachusetts, and You consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.
If You have any concern or dispute about the Service, You agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting the Company at the address below.
If You are a European Union consumer, You will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which You are resident.
You represent and warrant that: (i) You are not located in a country that is subject to a United States government embargo or that has been designated by the United States government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and (ii) You are not listed on any United States government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable or invalid, such provision will be modified and interpreted to accomplish its objectives to the greatest extent possible under applicable law, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
The failure to exercise a right or to require performance of an obligation under these Terms shall not affect a party's ability to exercise such right or require such performance at any time thereafter, nor shall the waiver of a breach constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach.
We reserve the right, at Our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, We will make reasonable efforts to provide notice prior to any new terms taking effect, for example by updating the “Last updated” date on this page. What constitutes a material change will be determined at Our sole discretion.
By continuing to access or use the Service after revisions become effective, You agree to be bound by the revised Terms. If You do not agree to the new Terms, in whole or in part, please stop using the Service.
If You have questions about these Terms, please contact:
Prof. Peter J. Park
Department of Biomedical Informatics
Harvard Medical School
10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115
Email: peter_park@hms.harvard.edu
© 2026 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.
