APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

 BIOINFORMATICS
- The application of information technology to store, organize, and analyze vast amount of
biological data which is available in the form of sequences and structures of proteins – the
building blocks of organisms and nucleic acids – the information carrier (Madan, n.d).

(Explain further the bioinformatics)

 Early interest in bioinformatics was established because of a need to create databases of

biological sequences.
 SWISS-PROT protein sequence database
- While the initial databases of protein sequences were maintained at individual laboratories,
the development of a consolidated formal database, known as SWISS-PROT protein
sequence database, was initiated in 1986.
- It now has about 70,000 protein sequences from more than 5,000 model organisms.
 Computers and software tools are widely used for generating these databases and to identify
the functions of proteins, model the structure of proteins, determine the coding (useful) regions
of nucleic acid sequences, find suitable drug compounds from a large pool, and optimize the
drug development process by predicting possible targets.
 Some of the software tools which are handy in the analysis include:
- BLAST (used for comparing sequences)
- Annotator (an interactive genome analysis tool)
- GeneFinder (tool to identify coding regions and splice sites)
 The sequence information generated by the human genome research, initiated in 1988, has now
been stored as a primary information source for future application in medicine.
 The available data is so huge that if compiled in books, the data would run into 200 volumes of
1,000 pages each.
 The present challenge to handle such huge volume of data is to improve database design,
develop software for database access, and manipulation and device data-entry procedures to
compensate for the varied computer procedures and systems used in different laboratories.
 PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
- Bioinformatics is the key to rational drug discovery
- It reduces the number of trials in the screening of drug compounds and in identifying
potential drug targets for a particular disease using high-power computing workstations and
software like Insight.
 PHARMACOGENOMICS
- Where potential targets for drug development are hypothesized from the genome
sequences.
 Molecular modeling has become faster due to the advances in computer processors and its
architecture.
 PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
- Bioinformatics is found to be useful in areas of identifying diseases resistance genes and
designing plants with high nutrition value.