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Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combines biology, computer science, mathematics and statistics to analyze and interpret biological data. (link)
Genome Sequencing
Genome Sequencing
The first draft of the human genome was published in 2001 in the journal Nature
- At that time, the sequence of the entire genome's three billion base pairs was ~90 percent complete
- probably about 20,500 human genes
- More than 2,800 researchers
- Research effort cost roughly $2.7 billion
We've come a long way since then!
Benefits of Genome Sequencing
Benefits of Genome Sequencing
I don't think anyone disputes the potential benefits, both currently and in the future, that are possible due to genome sequencing.
- ‘precision’ or ‘personalized’ medicine
- better understanding of the causes of and mechanisms involved in human diseases
- potential for cost-effective patient care
- maintaining human health
- non-human applications (e.g. agriculture)
Caveats
Caveats
- Privacy concerns
- "Too much information"
- Designer babies
- GMOs
Critical to research in medicine and the life sciences
Critical to research in medicine and the life sciences
- basic data science is still relatively rare in bioscience curricula
- "skill gaps in computational aspects of biology impede the advancement of research and continue to fuel a global need for bioinformatics education and training"
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