Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is the study of large amounts of biological information. Mostly, it focuses on molecules like DNA. It is done mostly with the help of computers.

The process

Anything a cell could possibly want is stored in its DNA. When a cell wants to build a protein, it finds the appropriate piece of DNA, makes a copy of it (called RNA), and uses the instructions in the copy to make the protein.

Proteins are the 'machinery' of a cell. They can perform many functions like transportation, structural support, movement and metabolism. Proteins are made from amino acids. There are twenty different amino acids that are used to build millions of different protein molecules.

The principle of bioinformatics is that these molecules can be studied by using computers to analyze the DNA, RNA, and amino acid sequences from which they are created. Because there are so many different molecules, the best way we have of understanding how the entire system works is to use bioinformatics.

Computers in bioinformatics

Chemists have developed ways to understand the shape and behavior of small molecules, using mathematical analysis. They might use computers (or even just a pencil and paper) to study these molecules.

Biochemists today are trying to answer these questions about every single cell in the body:

• How does a particular protein bind to another?
• Which proteins will be built from a specific strand of DNA?
• How can DNA be used to stop genetic disorders and diseases?
• How has a cell changed through evolution?
• What diseases is a person especially vulnerable to, given their genes?