• Statewide Bioscience Initiative (KEGA)
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    • Advanced Materials and Medical Devices
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    • Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, and Pharmacogenomics
    • Health-related IT: Bioinformatics and Telemedicine
    • Plant Sciences
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• Kansas Bioscience Authority

Health-Related IT: Bioinformatics and Telemedicine

Bioinformatics is the convergence of computer science, information technology and biotechnology. The application of computer science and information technology is to manage and analyze the vast amounts of data generated from basic biological research such as nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Bioinformatics assists scientists in managing data and enables interpretation of data by presenting it in useful forms.

The tools and techniques that define bioinformatics are themselves a demonstration of the growth and diversity of techniques in drug discovery. As late as the mid-20th century, drug discovery was conducted mainly through chemical synthesis followed by extensive trial-and-error testing. Large-scale testing of derivatives of potential drugs was introduced in the 1970s, followed by attempts at rational drug design in the 1980s. Bioinformatics entered the arena in the 1990s, enabling drug synthesis and testing to be simulated by computers. As biological knowledge and computer algorithms improve, it becomes increasingly possible to identify and refine potential leads through the use of computers.

There are two successive elements in bioinformatics: data assembly and data analysis. Computer-assisted data management enables gathering, analysis, and representation of biological information to help scientists better understand biological processes; understand the mechanisms behind diseases; develop methods to treat diseases; and develop applications based on biological knowledge. Bioinformatics also allows researchers to perform comparative and predictive studies of biological processes. Applications of bioinformatics data analysis include prediction of protein structure, prediction of protein function, and drug target selection.