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Designing Your Course
Course FAQ
Below we've answered some of the most frequently asked questions
about the emerging fields of bioinformatics and genomics.
Let us know if you
have others – we'll get the answers and post them.
What is genomics?
Genomics is an unusual scientific term because its definition varies
from person to person. The root word "genome" is universally defined
as the total DNA content of a haploid cell or half the DNA content
of a diploid cell. You would think the discipline genomics would
be the study of genomes, but this definition is too simplistic.
In one sense, all of biology is related to the study of genomes
because an organism is shaped by its genome. Genomics includes sequencing
DNA and collecting genomic variations within a population as well
as transcriptional control of genes.
What
is proteomics?
Once the term genome and genomics gained popularity, a cascade of
new terms was initiated so each new area of research became an "-omic"
or the subject under investigation was an "ome." The best examples
are proteome and proteomics: a proteome is the complete protein
content of a cell/organism at a given moment.
What
is "bioinformatics?"
Bioinformatics is essentially the application of the tools of computer
science to the overwhelming data sets being generated by biologists.
Current bioinformatics research is often focused on the representation,
analysis, annotation and mining of large databases of genome sequence
information. In the future, the focus will shift to a functional
analysis of the proteins produced by these genes and their interactions
in the context of biochemical pathways.
How
do you get computer scientists interested in biology?
Computer science has classically focused on the study of computer
hardware
and software. A more contemporary view of information technology,
however, recognizes that storage, transmission, and distribution
of data make up a significant portion of the future demand on the
discipline and on future computer professionals. No other field
allows free access to largely unexplored research data and unperfected
techniques as they are being developed. This affords invaluable
opportunities for integrating the discovery of new knowledge into
core coursework and research in computer science.
How
do you get biologists interested in using computers to analyze data?
Biology has become an increasingly data-driven science. Large-scale
public and private efforts are producing molecular data at a rate
that has made traditional data analysis methods impractical and
generated an intrinsically two-tiered system of those that can generate
data and those who can understand what it means. Bioinformatics
methods have made it possible for researchers with limited budgets
to make fundamentally important contributions simply by evaluating
data generated by others.
What is the best
way to be trained as a bioinformatician?
Bioinformatics professionals must be capable of communicating in
both the languages of computer science and in the language of biology.
Both disciplines are rich in technical terminology. The defining
trait of a successful bioinformatician is not necessarily complete
mastery of both fields, but rather a traditional mastery of one
field and a comfortable familiarity with the other.
What prospects are there for work in bioinformatics
in the future?
There is already an extensive need for professionals with a background
in bioinformatics and that need will continue to grow. For instance,
the genomic information available at the National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI) currently doubles every 14 months and industry
analysts forecast that the market for genomic information alone
(and the technology to use it) will reach an annual US $2 billion
by 2005. The current shortfall of bioinformaticians has been estimated
to be as much as fifty-fold!
How does
bioinformatics relate to -omics like genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics
and metabolomics?
Living things are enormously complex but biologists are becoming
increasingly adept at tapping into the information that contributes
to that complexity. In the sense that techniques of bioinformatics
allow large biological data sets to be evaluated, analyzed and integrated,
it is the unifying theme of all the many "-omics" fields that are
emerging. |
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