LEARNING OBJECT RESOURCES
LSM2104 MODULE

WHAT IS BIOINFORMATICS?

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is the field of science in which biology, computer science, and information technology merge into a single discipline. The ultimate goal of the field is to enable the discovery of new biological insights as well as to create a global perspective from which unifying principles in biology can be discerned (NCBI- definition).
There are three important sub-disciplines within bioinformatics:
  1. The development of new algorithms and statistics with which to assess relationships among members of large data sets.
  2. The analysis and interpretation of various types of data including nucleotide and amino acid sequences, protein domains, and protein structures.
  3. The development and implementation of tools that enable efficient access and management of different types of information.

      The ultimate goal of bioinformatics is the complete understanding of an organism given its genome.
Use the Links for more information
© Copyright 2004-06 Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated : 2006