Bioinformatics:

Definition:

Bioinformatics is defined as the application of tools of computation and analysis to the

capture and interpretation of biological data. It is an interdisciplinary field, which harnesses
computer science, mathematics, physics, and biology.

It is a scientific sub discipline that involves using computer technology to collect, store, analyze
and disseminate biological data and information, such as DNA and amino acid sequences or
annotations about those sequences.

Examples of bioinformatics include the Human Genome Project and the Human Microbiome
Project. Both projects used genome sequencing technologies to determine the order of base pairs
in the human genome and associated microbial genomes, respectively.

Scope:

Bioinformatics is mainly used to extract knowledge from biological data through the
development of algorithms and software. Bioinformatics is widely applied in the examination of
Genomics, Proteomics, 3D structure modeling of Proteins, Image analysis, Drug designing and a
lot more.

It opens so many doors of employment in both public and private sectors. A BS or MS

Bioinformatics degree holder can easily get employed in Pharmaceutical Companies,
Biotechnology Labs, Forensic Labs, Research Departments, and International Centers for
Chemical and Biological Sciences etc.

Bioinformatics is being used in following fields:

1. Microbial genome applications

2. Molecular medicine

3. Personalized medicine

4. Preventative medicine
5. Gene therapy

6. Drug development

7. Antibiotic resistance

8. Evolutionary studies

9. Waste cleanup

10. Biotechnology

11. Various Fields of Bioinformatics Climate change Studies

12. Alternative energy sources

13. Crop improvement

14. Forensic analysis

15. Bio-weapon creation

16. Insect resistance

17. Improve nutritional quality

18. Development of Drought resistant varieties

19. Vetinary Science

Useful Websites:

 Allen Brain Atlas

Growing collection of online public resources integrating extensive gene expression and
neuroanatomical data, complete with a novel suite of search and viewing tools.
 BLAST (NCBI)
The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) finds regions of local similarity between
sequences. The program compares nucleotide or protein sequences to sequence databases and
calculates the statistical significance of matches. BLAST can be used to infer functional and
 evolutionary relationships between sequences as well as help identify members of gene
families.
 ChemSpider
ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing fast text and structure search
access to over 29 million structures from hundreds of data sources.
 The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL)
Portal for research and services in bioinformatics, with databases of nucleic acid and protein
sequences, and macromolecular structures.
 ExPASy
SIB Bioinformatics Resource Portal providing access to scientific databases and software
tools
 Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN)
The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) is a global network of well-managed
collections of genomic tissue samples from across the Tree of Life, benefiting society
through biodiversity research, development and conservation. This network will foster
collaborations among repositories of molecular biodiversity in order to ensure quality
standards, improve best practices, secure interoperability, and harmonize exchange of
material in accordance with national and international legislation and conventions.
 Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)
 NCBI - National Centre for Biotechnology Information
The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by
providing access to biomedical and genomic information.
 OBRC: Online Bioinformatics Resources Collection
 Open Bioinformatics Foundation
Aims of bioinformatics:

1. To organize vast reams of molecular biology data in an efficient manner

2. To develop tools that aid in the analysis of such data

3. To interpret the results accurately and meaningfully.