Bioinformatics: Solving Biological Problems

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Adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine linked by hydrogen and phosphodiester bonds.


This week, I read an article about pursuing passions, and a few things immediately crossed my mind: reading, drawing, playing games, and Biology.

I enjoyed Biology so much that I often found myself immersed in the textbook even during the July-August vacation.

My interest in Bioinformatics began during my initial academic advising session with a dean at UWI, who questioned my switch to Computer Science.

Although initially puzzled, he encouraged me to excel in Computer Science and later explore Bioinformatics, highlighting that learning Biology is more manageable than mastering Programming.

Now, you might be wondering: "What exactly is Bioinformatics?"

Bioinformatics is a multidisciplinary field that combines biology, computer science, and mathematics to analyze biological data, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

With that being said, here are some use cases for Bioinformatics that you should be aware of: 

Personalized Medicine

Known for its direct-to-consumer genetic testing, 23andMe provides personalized health reports based on customers' DNA analysis, offering insights into ancestry, traits, and potential health risks.

Protein Structure Prediction

AlphaFold, developed by Google DeepMind, has the capability to predict the structure of each protein encoded by the human genome (approximately 20,000) and 20 other biologically significant organisms, resulting in a comprehensive collection of over 350,000 protein structures.

Evolutionary Biology

Bioinformaticians use DNA sequence data to study evolutionary relationships between species. By comparing genetic information, researchers can reconstruct evolutionary trees and trace the origins of species.

Cancer Genomics

Bioinformatics plays a pivotal role in identifying genetic mutations and variations associated with various cancers. Researchers use computational methods to analyze DNA sequences from cancer patients, pinpointing genetic alterations that contribute to tumor growth. 


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