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Bioinformatics Introduction
Bioinformatics - the genomic revolution
The science of bioinformatics or computational biology is increasingly being used to improve the quality of life as we know it.
Bioinformatics has developed out of the need to understand the code of life, DNA. Massive DNA sequencing projects have evolved and added in the growth of the science of bioinformatics. DNA the basic molecule of life directly controls the fundamental biology of life. It codes for genes which code for proteins which determine the biological makeup of humans or any living organism. It is variations and errors in the genomic DNA which ultimately define the likelihood of developing diseases or resistance to these same disorders. Also see Discovery of DNA article.
The ultimate goal of bioinformatics is to uncover the wealth
of biological information hidden in the mass of sequence, structure,
literature and other biological data and obtain a clearer insight
into the fundamental biology of organisms and to use this information
to enhance the standard of life for mankind.
It is being used now and in the foreseable future in the areas of molecular medicine to help produce better and more customised medicines to prevent or cure diseases, it has environmental benefits in, identifying waste cleanup bacteria and in agriculture it can be used for producing high yield low maintenance crops. These are just a few of the many benefits bioinformatics will help develop.
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