What is bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics is a relatively new area of science in which biology and computational science come together.

Omics

The term 'omics' is often used to refer to a range of new technologies that allow large-scale studies of genes, proteins or rather everything that is happening in living cells. These technologies, such as genomics and proteomics, have taken biological research to a new level. Using these new techniques, scientists are now able to map the complete genetic information of plants, micro-organisms (fungi, bacteria), animals and humans. They can also compare the genetic information of different organisms to shed light on the similarities and distinctions. Or for example compare the genes of cancer patients to those of healthy people to find out which genes are involved in cancer.

Genes

This type of research is important for a variety of fields, ranging from the development of new drugs to crops that can better cope with disease or drought. No wonder that research groups throughout the world are working hard to increase our understanding of the functioning of living cells and even complete organisms. To really make progress in this field, computers are absolutely essential. The research described here generates enormous amounts of data that all need to be processed, analysed and stored in a reliable and accessible manner. Just an example: comparing all 25,000 genes of 1000 cancer patients and 1000 healthy individuals and deciding which gene really pops out is no easy task. Specialised software and calculation methods are required to deal with such large volumes of biological data and be able to extract meaningful information. Moreover, such software and methods need to be usable for researchers that are not computer experts. This is where bioinformatics comes in.

Bioinformatics researchers and programmers design, develop and test new, user-friendly and broadly applicable software that allow biologists to handle and understand all the data they generate in their studies. The Netherlands Bioinformatics Centre (NBIC) brings together computer scientists, mathematicians, biologist and scientific programmers that work together on a large number of research projects aimed at that one burning question: How do living organisms function?

More information

More information:
- bioinformatics@school: NBIC project in which high school students get a hands-on introduction to bioinformatics
- www.society-genomics.nl: website of the Centre for Society and Genomics, which focuses on the societal impact of 'omics'-technologies and organises a range of communication and education activities