Bioinformatics Today

Bioinformatics has evolved into a full-fledged multidisciplinary subject that integrates developments in information and computer technology as applied to Biotechnology and Biological Sciences. Bioinformatics uses computer softwaretools for database creation, data management, data warehousing, data mining and global communication networking. Bioinformatics is the recording, annotation, storage, analysis, and searching/retrieval of nucleic acid sequence (genes and RNAs), protein sequence and structural information. This includes databases of the sequences and structural information as well methods to access, search, visualize and retrieve the information. Bioinformatics concern the creation and maintenance of databases of biologicalinformation whereby researchers can both access existing information and submit new entries. Function genomics, biomolecular structure, proteome analysis, cell metabolism, biodiversity, downstream processing in chemical engineering, drug and vaccine design are some of the areas in which Bioinformatics is an integral component.

Sub Disciplines within Bioinformatics



There are three important sub-disciplines within bioinformatics involving computational biology:
  • The development of new algorithms and statistics with which to assess relationships among members of large data sets
  • The analysis and interpretation of various types of data including nucleotide and amino acidsequences, protein domains, and protein structures and
  • The development and implementation of tools that enable efficient access and management of different types of information.

Activities in Bioinformatics

We can split the activities in bioinformatics in two areas (1) the organization and (2) the analysis ofbiological data Organization activity in Bioinformatics
  • The creation of databases of biological information
  • The maintenance of these databases.

Aims of Bioinformatics

The aims of bioinformatics are basically three-fold. They are
  • Organization of data in such a way that it allows researchers to access existing information & to submit new entries as they are produced. While data-creation is an essential task, the information stored in these databases is useless unless analysed. Thus the purpose of bioinformatics extends well beyond mere volume control.
  • To develop tools and resources that help in the analysis of data. For example, having sequenced a particular protein, it is with previously characterized sequences. This requires more than just a straightforward database search. As such, programs such as FASTA and PSI-BLAST much consider what constitutes a biologically significant resemblance. Development of such resources extensive knowledge of computational theory, as well as a thorough understanding of biology.
  • Use of these tools to analyse the individual systems in detail, and frequently compared them with few that are related.