Bioinformatics: An introduction and Overview

–An extraordinary capital of data is being generated by genome sequencing projects and other experimental efforts to verify and establish the structure and function of biological molecules. The demands and opportunities for interpreting these data are expanding more than ever. Bioinformatics is a science which uses computational techniques to analyze the biological problems; the science of developing and utilizing computer databases and algorithms to accelerate and enhance biological research. Bioinformatics is much more than what this definition says, it’s commonly referred as dry lab work which accelerates the wet lab work drastically. Biology + Informatics + Statistics + (BioChemistry + BioPhysics). Bioinformatics is a tool to solve the Biological problems based on existing data. It is a method to solve the Biological outcomes based on existing experimental results. It creates the way for the Biologists to store all the data. It makes some lab experiments easy by predicting the outcome of the lab experiment. Sometimes it shows the initial way to start the lab experiment from existing results. It helps the researchers to get an idea about any lab experiments before they start. Computers have become an essential component of modern biology. They help to manage the vast and increasing amount of biological data and continue to play an integral role in the discovery of new biological relationships. This in silica approach to biology has helped to reshape the modern biological sciences. Bioinformatics is a scientific discipline that encompasses all aspects of biological information acquisition, processing, storage, distribution, analysis and interpretation and combines the tools and techniques of biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, information technology and mathematics. Bioinformatics has helped to make possible the current revolution in modern molecular biology. It’s method to predict the biological outcomes before anyone go for full fledged research. It’s a method to compare the biological data. Ex: sequence analysis. It’s a way to predict or solve the protein structure.It the only way for PERSONALIZED MEDICINE in this post genomic era. It’s the method to do comparative genomics and predict the Human homolog genes in other species. It’s the method to annotate the newly sequenced genomes. We are living in the world of Computers. By analyzing the existing biological data using Information Technology we can predict the biological outcomes. In this review, we provide an introduction to bioinformatics, biological tools, software and databases. I. AIMS OF BIOINFORMATICS The aims of bioinformatics are threefold. First aim of bioinformatics is to organize data in a way that permits researchers to access existing information and to submit new entries as they are produced, e.g. the Protein Data Bank for 3D macromolecular structures [1].While data-curation is an essential task, the information stored in these databases is essentially useless until analysed. Thus the purpose of bioinformatics extends much further. The second aim is to develop tools/software and resources that help in the analysis of data. For example, having sequenced a particular protein, it is of interest to compare it with previously characterized sequences. This needs more than just a simple text-based search and programs such as FASTA [2] and PSI-BLAST [3] must consider what comprises a biologically significant match. Development of such resources dictates expertise in computational theory as well as a thorough understanding of biology. The third aim is to use these tools to analyze the data and interpret the results in a biologically meaningful manner. In bioinformatics, we can now conduct global analyses of all the available data with the aim of uncovering common principles that apply across many systems and highlight novel features. Bioinformatics: An introduction and Overview 89 Data Source Data Size Bioinformatics Topics