GENOMICS (BIOINFORMATICS) AND COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES TO ANALYSE LARGE SETS OF BIOLOGICAL DATA

Abstract

Genomics is the study of genes and their function. The genome of each species is distinctive, but smaller genomic differences are also observed between each individual of a species. It was originally thought that obtaining the sequence of the human genome would immediately tell us the identity of human genes. Sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2003, identifying all the genes within the human DNA sequence is not complete. Locating the beginning and ends of genes within the DNA remains a challenge. Bioinformatics is the field of science which uses mathematical, statistical and computer methods to analyze biological, biochemical and biophysical data. Bioinformatics was applied in the creation and maintenance of a database to store biological information at the beginning of the “genome revolutionâ€, such as nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Development of this type of database involved not only design issues but the development of complex interfaces whereby researchers could both access existing data as well as submit new or revised data.