Bioinformatics is a dynamic and emerging field of science which deals with an amalgamation of several subjects. These subjects include Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science. Bioinformatics focuses on developing new technologies in the fields of medicine, research, and biotechnology. This subject is interdisciplinary and requires thorough knowledge of both engineering as well as life sciences. This sector draws from a well of biological data and uses this information to create new tools and software which will be relevant in the world of biological research. In this article, we’ll explore what is bioinformatics, the application of bioinformatics, the scope of bioinformatics, and the uses of bioinformatics.
Bioinformatics: A Definition
If we talk about a definition of bioinformatics, or to answer the question, ‘what is bioinformatics?’, we’ll have to visit the NCBI or the National Centre for Biotechnology Information. Here, in the journals of the NIH or National Institutes of Health and the NLM or National Library of medicine, we can find a concrete definition of bioinformatics. So, to answer the question ‘what is bioinformatics?’, we say that ‘Bioinformatics involves the collection, comprehension, manipulation, classification, storage, extraction, animation and usage of all biological information with the use of computer technology.’ In modern biology, it is used to analyse and interpret data with the application of tools.
History of Bioinformatics
Now that we know what bioinformatics is, let us briefly discuss the history of the subject. The term first got recognition in the year 1970 by two scientists from the Netherlands, Paulien Hogeweg and Ben Hesper. In their journals and records, we find bioinformatics as a study of information processes in the biological world.
Application of Bioinformatics
We will now move on to the application of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics and its application primarily lie in the extraction of useful facts and figures from a collection of data secured from the natural world. Bioinformatics finds application in the fields of 3D image processing, 3D modeling of living cells, image analysis, drug development, and a lot more. The most impactful usage of bioinformatics is visible in the field of medicine, where we heavily employ its data to create antidotes for infectious and harmful diseases.
The main application of bioinformatics is to make the comprehension of natural processes more accessible and more uncomplicated.
Bioinformatics Applications List
Listed below are the various examples of the application of bioinformatics:
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We heavily employ bioinformatics in gene therapy.
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This branch finds application in evolutionary theory.
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Microbial analysis.
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Understanding of protein structure.
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Storage and revival of biotechnological data.
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In the discovery of new drugs.
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In agriculture to understand crop patterns, pest control, and crop management.
This bit was all about bioinformatics and its application. Next, we will move on to the scope of bioinformatics.
Scope of Bioinformatics
The knowledge of the applications of the subject somewhat introduces us to the scope of bioinformatics. This subject is a branch of science that is rapidly growing and expanding as we discover newer areas of its usage. Bioinformatics is the root of all biological and medical research in the present day, and therefore we can suffice to say that the scope of bioinformatics is pretty promising. There are various career aspects after completing this course, some of them are mentioned here:
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In Healthcare industries.
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Pharmaceutical companies
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Data scientist
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Research and development
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Drug designing and development
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Clinical research
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Software developer of bioinformatics
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Computational biologist
In our next bit, we are going to go over the uses of bioinformatics briefly.
Uses of Bioinformatics
The uses of bioinformatics are plenty. We employ this science in data collection from the natural world. We use it to develop technologies to understand our environment better. Bioinformatics helps in the analysis of the very data that it gathers. Bioinformatics also helps in creating ways of using this data to solve real-world problems. Therefore, this field is a very crucial part of research and development. We can see its impact in a number of our industries and this aptly highlights the importance and the extent of uses of bioinformatics.
Fun Facts
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Bioinformatics is one of the newest recognized branches of scientific study.
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Despite being a pretty new field, the applications of bioinformatics are widespread.
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It is a field that has a significant impact in the world of drug development and the treatment of chronic diseases.
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The number of students opting for bioinformatics and biotechnology as a field of study is increasing rapidly.