Bioinformatics

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Introduction

Bioinformatics is the application of computational science to solve complex biological problems. Bioinformatics is a relatively new area of study that allows biologists to process massive amounts of data that would be otherwise impossible. Thanks to bioinformatics, a number of exciting breakthroughs have been made in recent years, which include breakthroughs in genetics, medicine, agriculture, and many other areas. Students with a passion for both computer science and biology should consider studying bioinformatics.

...By Students

"Bioinformatics is exciting and unique because it is one of the only disciplines in computer science that can save lives."

What is Bioinformatics?

3D render of a DNA molecule.

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area that combines both biological and computational sciences.[1] These days, many biologists, particularly those in the field of molecular biology, are concerned with studying DNA and RNA to better understand an organism’s hereditary information. The study of DNA and RNA produces a massive amount of data that cannot be effectively gathered or processed by hand. Biologists need to apply complex algorithms using computer science to generate, store, interpret, and analyze the biological data.

How is Bioinformatics Applied?

To determine the hereditary information of an organism, a biologist must use computational algorithms to interpret DNA or RNA molecules. DNA and RNA molecules are composed of chains of smaller molecules called nucleotides.[2] There are 5 different possible nucleotides, which are often denoted by their initial letters:

  • A : Adenine
  • C : Cytosine
  • G : Guanine
  • T : Thymine (only in DNA)
  • U : Uracil (only in RNA)

The purpose of a DNA or RNA molecule is determined by the ordering of the molecule’s nucleotides. For example, a small segment of a DNA molecule may resemble something like this: 

     A-G-T-C-C-A-A-G-C-T-T
Pages and pages of the human genome (i.e. all human hereditary information).

Therefore, the entirety of an organism’s hereditary information (i.e. all of the nucleotides in all of the DNA/RNA molecules) is an incredibly long and complex code. In addition, only a very small part of an organism’s DNA or RNA can be read at a time. So, before any meaning can be gained, the biological information must be read, assembled, and interpreted using computational algorithms.

Why is Bioinformatics Important?

Many insights can be gained from better understanding an organism’s hereditary information, but doing so is an incredibly complex task that is entirely dependent on computers. Bioinformatics is responsible for providing tools and techniques for intelligently analyzing vast quantities of biological data.[3] Thanks to the tools provided by bioinformatics, scientists are making new breakthroughs in molecular biology. These breakthroughs can be applied to improve medicine, agriculture, alternative energy sources, and many other areas.[4] If it wasn’t for bioinformatics, none of these scientific advances would be possible.


Courses Offered

The University of Manitoba currently offers one course on the subject of bioinformatics: Introduction to Bioinformatic Algorithms (COMP 3820). COMP 3820 is currently taught by Dr. Michael Domaratzki and requires Analysis of Algorithms (COMP 2080) and Essentials of Molecular Biology (MBIO 2410) as prerequisites.

COMP 3820: Overview

Students enrolled in COMP 3820 will be introduced to the fundamental processes of bioinformatics. Students will learn to compare DNA sequences, plot evolutionary trees, and apply a number of algorithms to compare, predict, and relate the proteins and DNA of organisms.

Assignments in COMP 3820 are generally small and consist of some programming as well as mathematical application of the algorithms learned in class. For example, a student may be given DNA sequences from a number of different species and asked to determine which species are more closely related.

The goal of COMP 3820 is to get students interested in bioinformatics. Students who complete COMP 3820 should understand that there are lots of interesting biological problems requiring algorithmic solutions.[5]

Why Take COMP 3820?

COMP 3820 is not a required course but many students may be interested in taking it for a number of reasons. Students who are currently studying computer science but are also highly interested in biology should strongly consider taking COMP 3820 in their third or fourth year. Alternatively, computer science students who are interested in challenging themselves with something atypical to other computer science courses may also wish to consider taking COMP 3820. In the long run, COMP 3820 would also be useful for any student who wants to get a job in the information technology (IT) industry where a background in bioinformatics is sought after, such as at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.


Why Choose Bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics is a great choice for students who want to link computer science with another field of study, specifically biology. The field requires strong skills in mathematics and statistics.[6] Bioinformatics can be a rewarding field because it can save lives and improve quality of life through its contributions to disease research. Bioinformatics provides an excellent breadth of knowledge that can contribute to the appreciation of computer science.

There is currently a shortage of bioinformatics professionals in Canada and around the world. Projections indicate jobs will remain in demand into the future. Most jobs have a starting salary of around $60,000.[7] These factors make bioinformatics an attractive field to study.


Areas of Research

Bioinformatics is primarily used in complex areas of biology that often involve a lot of uncertainty and numerous complicated calculations. The increasing processing power of computers enables biologists to advance research and make new discoveries that were previously not possible or too costly.[8]

There are many research areas in bioinformatics. Most research areas have a cellular or molecular focus concentrating on analyzing DNA sequences, and genes. There are also broader areas of study such as computational evolutionary biology, which is the study of the origin and descent of species. Research benefits many industries such as medicine, agriculture, fisheries and forestry.[9]

The broad range of subjects within bioinformatics provides variety and many opportunities. Most areas of bioinformatics are expected to remain in demand into the projected future.[10]


Examples

Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project was a US-led scientific project that began in 1990 and completed in 2003. The goals of the project were to identify, analyze, and map human genes to better understand the chemical structure of human DNA. Computer programs assisted in analyzing, sharing, and storing the large amounts of complex data. These programs used statistical models and computer science concepts to achieve the goals of the project. The knowledge gained from the project has helped and will continue to help research advances in medicine, agriculture and energy production.[11] For example, some cancers and diseases have been linked to certain genes. The Human Genome Project led to advances in genetic testing which can determine if an individual is at high risk of developing certain cancers or diseases like cystic fibrosis.[12] The Human Genome Project is a great example of bioinformatics saving lives and improving quality of life.

Folding@home

Folding@home is a global community project headed by Stanford University that comprises of people running software simulating complex protein folding. Protein folding is a critical biological phase in which proteins re-assemble themselves to perform different vital biological functions. Diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s have been linked to proteins incorrectly folding.[13] The Folding@home project helps scientists analyze the cause and development of diseases by distributing the very high processing load among many computers.[14] To learn more about protein folding or to download the free software, visit the official download site.


References

  1. ↑ http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/bioinformatics/bioinf_what_1.html
  2. ↑ http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/biology/molecules_dna.html
  3. ↑ http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/bioinformatics/bioinf_why_1.html
  4. ↑ http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/bioinformatics/bioinf_realworld_1.html
  5. ↑ Dr. Domaratzki
  6. ↑ http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/355933/want_career_science_good_maths_bioinformatics_needs_/
  7. ↑ http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/future/undergrad/programs/bioinfo
  8. ↑ http://www.helium.com/items/1307176-what-is-bioinformatics
  9. ↑ http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/future/undergrad/programs/bioinfo
  10. ↑ http://www.biotalent.ca/userfiles/file/splicing_the_data2008/Splicing_the_data_ENG_July15_08.pdf
  11. ↑ http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml
  12. ↑ http://www.genome.gov/19516567
  13. ↑ http://folding.stanford.edu
  14. ↑ http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-Diseases
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