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fetch

Retrieve comprehensive biomedical data for articles, clinical trials, genes, drugs, diseases, and variants using unique identifiers. Standardized format supports detailed research and analysis across domains.

Instructions

Fetch comprehensive details for a specific biomedical record.

This tool retrieves full information for articles, clinical trials, genetic variants,
genes, drugs, or diseases using their unique identifiers. It returns data in a
standardized format suitable for detailed analysis and research.

## IDENTIFIER FORMATS:
- Articles: PMID (PubMed ID) - e.g., "35271234" OR DOI - e.g., "10.1101/2024.01.20.23288905"
- Trials: NCT ID (ClinicalTrials.gov ID) - e.g., "NCT04280705"
- Variants: HGVS notation or dbSNP ID - e.g., "chr7:g.140453136A>T" or "rs121913254"
- Genes: Gene symbol or Entrez ID - e.g., "BRAF" or "673"
- Drugs: Drug name or ID - e.g., "imatinib" or "DB00619"
- Diseases: Disease name or ID - e.g., "melanoma" or "MONDO:0005105"
- NCI Organizations: NCI organization ID - e.g., "NCI-2011-03337"
- NCI Interventions: NCI intervention ID - e.g., "INT123456"
- NCI Diseases: NCI disease ID - e.g., "C4872"

The domain is automatically detected from the ID format if not provided:
- NCT* → trial
- Contains "/" with numeric prefix (DOI) → article
- Pure numeric → article (PMID)
- rs* or contains ':' or 'g.' → variant
- For genes, drugs, diseases: manual specification recommended

## DOMAIN-SPECIFIC OPTIONS:

### Articles (domain="article"):
- Returns full article metadata, abstract, and full text when available
- Supports both PubMed articles (via PMID) and Europe PMC preprints (via DOI)
- Includes annotations for genes, diseases, chemicals, and variants (PubMed only)
- detail="full" attempts to retrieve full text content (PubMed only)

### Clinical Trials (domain="trial"):
- detail=None or "protocol": Core study information
- detail="locations": Study sites and contact information
- detail="outcomes": Primary/secondary outcomes and results
- detail="references": Related publications and citations
- detail="all": Complete trial record with all sections

### Variants (domain="variant"):
- Returns comprehensive variant information including:
  - Clinical significance and interpretations
  - Population frequencies
  - Gene/protein effects
  - External database links
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### Genes (domain="gene"):
- Returns gene information from MyGene.info including:
  - Gene symbol, name, and type
  - Entrez ID and Ensembl IDs
  - Gene summary and aliases
  - RefSeq information
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### Drugs (domain="drug"):
- Returns drug/chemical information from MyChem.info including:
  - Drug name and trade names
  - Chemical formula and structure IDs
  - Clinical indications
  - Mechanism of action
  - External database links (DrugBank, PubChem, ChEMBL)
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### Diseases (domain="disease"):
- Returns disease information from MyDisease.info including:
  - Disease name and definition
  - MONDO ontology ID
  - Disease synonyms
  - Cross-references to other databases
  - Associated phenotypes
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### NCI Organizations (domain="nci_organization"):
- Returns organization information from NCI database including:
  - Organization name and type
  - Full address and contact information
  - Research focus areas
  - Associated clinical trials
- Requires NCI API key
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### NCI Interventions (domain="nci_intervention"):
- Returns intervention information from NCI database including:
  - Intervention name and type
  - Synonyms and alternative names
  - Mechanism of action (for drugs)
  - FDA approval status
  - Associated clinical trials
- Requires NCI API key
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

### NCI Diseases (domain="nci_disease"):
- Returns disease information from NCI controlled vocabulary including:
  - Preferred disease name
  - Disease category and classification
  - All known synonyms
  - Cross-reference codes (ICD, SNOMED)
- Requires NCI API key
- detail parameter is ignored (always returns full data)

## RETURN FORMAT:
All fetch operations return a standardized format:
```json
{
    "id": "unique_identifier",
    "title": "Record title or name",
    "text": "Full content or comprehensive description",
    "url": "Link to original source",
    "metadata": {
        // Domain-specific additional fields
    }
}
```

## EXAMPLES:

Fetch article by PMID (domain auto-detected):
```
await fetch(id="35271234")
```

Fetch article by DOI (domain auto-detected):
```
await fetch(id="10.1101/2024.01.20.23288905")
```

Fetch complete trial information (domain auto-detected):
```
await fetch(
    id="NCT04280705",
    detail="all"
)
```

Fetch variant with clinical interpretations:
```
await fetch(id="rs121913254")
```

Explicitly specify domain (optional):
```
await fetch(
    domain="variant",
    id="chr7:g.140453136A>T"
)
```

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
api_keyNoNCI API key for fetching NCI records (nci_organization, nci_intervention, nci_disease). Required for NCI fetches. Get a free key at: https://clinicaltrialsapi.cancer.gov/
call_benefitNoBrief explanation of why this fetch is being performed and expected benefit. Helps provide context for analytics and improves result relevance.
detailNo
domainNoDomain of the record (auto-detected if not provided)
idYes
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. It thoroughly describes what the tool does: returns data in a standardized format, includes domain-specific options, details return format, and specifies requirements like NCI API key for certain domains. It covers behavioral traits such as auto-detection logic, detail parameter usage, and data sources.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is well-structured with clear sections (e.g., identifier formats, domain-specific options, return format, examples) and is appropriately sized for a complex tool. However, it is lengthy due to the comprehensive coverage, which is necessary but slightly reduces conciseness. Most sentences earn their place by adding value.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's complexity (5 parameters, no annotations, no output schema), the description is highly complete. It covers purpose, usage, parameters, behavioral details, return format, and examples. It addresses all contextual needs for an agent to correctly invoke the tool across multiple biomedical domains, making up for the lack of structured metadata.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The description adds significant meaning beyond the input schema, which has only 60% coverage. It explains the 'id' parameter with detailed identifier formats and examples for each domain, clarifies 'domain' with auto-detection rules and domain-specific behaviors, details 'detail' parameter options per domain, and specifies 'api_key' requirements for NCI domains. This compensates for schema gaps and provides essential context.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool's purpose: 'Fetch comprehensive details for a specific biomedical record' with specific verbs ('retrieves', 'returns') and resources ('articles, clinical trials, genetic variants, genes, drugs, or diseases'). It distinguishes from siblings like 'search' by focusing on fetching single records by ID rather than searching.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides clear context for when to use this tool: for retrieving full information using unique identifiers, with domain-specific sections detailing what each fetch returns. It mentions domain auto-detection and when manual specification is recommended. However, it does not explicitly state when not to use it or name specific alternatives among the many sibling tools.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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