HGNC Gene Symbols Scraper

Free-plan limit: Apify free-plan users receive at most 5 delivered records per run. Paid users may use the Actor’s configured result limit.

Search the public HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) complete gene set and return structured gene-symbol records for bioinformatics, research, annotation, and AI pipelines.

What it extracts

Each dataset item contains the current symbol and name, HGNC ID, status, locus group/type, chromosome location, aliases, previous names/symbols, gene groups, and common cross-references such as Entrez, Ensembl, OMIM, UniProt, and RefSeq IDs.

Input

The Actor downloads HGNC’s public complete-set TSV and filters it locally.

{
  "searchTerm": "BRCA1",
  "status": "Approved",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "includeAliases": true
}

searchTerm searches symbols, names, HGNC/Entrez/Ensembl IDs, aliases, and previous names. Leave it empty to list records. locusGroup and locusType are optional exact filters using the vocabulary in the HGNC download. The default status is Approved; use All when withdrawn entries are needed. maxResults is capped at 5,000.

Output

Results are written one gene per item to the default dataset. A SUMMARY key-value record reports the source URL, source row count, filters, returned count, retrieval time, and truthful no-match diagnostics.

{
  "hgncId": "HGNC:1100",
  "symbol": "BRCA1",
  "name": "BRCA1 DNA repair associated",
  "status": "Approved",
  "locusGroup": "protein-coding gene",
  "locusType": "gene with protein product",
  "entrezId": "672",
  "ensemblGeneId": "ENSG00000012048",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC%3A1100"
}

Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. These are the current Apify Store event prices:

Event	Price (USD)	When it is charged
apify-default-dataset-item	$0.0002	HGNC gene record — One schema-valid HGNC gene record written to the default dataset.
apify-actor-start	$0.00005	Actor Start — Charged when the Actor starts running. Number of events charged depends on Actor memory (one event per GB, minimum one event). — Charged once per run.

Apify platform usage for this Actor run is included alongside the event prices above; no separate per-run platform-usage fee is passed to users.

This covers Apify platform usage for this Actor run. Other Apify products or usage outside this Actor run may still follow your account plan.

Reliability and limitations

The Actor uses HGNC’s public Google Cloud Storage download, not private credentials or a third-party gene database. It reports a failed run if the source cannot be downloaded or parsed, and reports a successful empty result when valid filters match no records. HGNC updates the source file periodically, so results reflect the file retrieved during the run.

Use this Actor for HGNC human gene nomenclature data. It is not a general multi-species gene database, sequence search engine, or medical diagnosis tool. Check HGNC’s terms and attribution requirements for your use case.

Use cases

• Supply structured public data to AI, RAG, enrichment, or evaluation workflows.
• Run a one-off research job and export the structured result as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS from Apify.
• Schedule the same input to monitor changes over time and send completed datasets to a webhook or integration.
• Feed schema-shaped records into a database, spreadsheet, BI tool, or AI workflow with the source URL retained for verification.

Run HGNC Gene Symbols Scraper with the Apify API

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('muhammadafzal/hgnc-gene-symbols-scraper').call({
  "searchTerm": "TP53",
  "status": "Approved",
  "locusGroup": "",
  "locusType": "",
  "maxResults": 100,
  "includeAliases": true
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

You can also run the Actor from Apify Console, schedules, webhooks, the REST API, Make, Zapier, n8n, or the hosted Apify MCP server.

Responsible use

Use this Actor only for data you are authorized to access. Follow the target website's terms, robots and access policies, and applicable privacy, database, copyright, anti-spam, and data-protection laws. Do not use it to bypass authentication or other access controls, collect private data, harass people, or make high-impact decisions without independent verification.

Support

When reporting a problem, include the Actor run ID, a redacted input, the expected result, and a small public example URL when applicable. Do not post API tokens, cookies, credentials, or personal data in an issue.

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule HGNC Gene Symbols Scraper?

Yes. Use an Apify schedule to run the same saved input at a chosen interval, then connect a webhook or integration to process the dataset when the run finishes.

How should I test a new input?

Begin with the prefilled example or a small limit. Confirm that the output fields, source coverage, runtime, and live charges match your workflow before increasing the scope.

How do I export the results?

Open the run's default dataset in Apify Console and export JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS. Applications can retrieve the same records through the Apify API client or REST dataset endpoint.

Can an AI agent call this Actor?

Yes. Add muhammadafzal/hgnc-gene-symbols-scraper through the hosted Apify MCP server or call it through the API. The Actor's input and dataset schemas help agents construct valid requests and interpret returned records.