Ten simple rules for developing bioinformatics capacity at an academic institution

Résumé

Bioinformatics is an applied interdisciplinary field whose primary purpose is to develop and deploy computational techniques to store, organize, and aid in the analysis and interpretation of large-scale data obtained from biological systems.While rooted in the analysis of nucleotide and protein sequences, it now encompasses techniques targeting multiple data acquisition modalities and seeks to comprehend the functioning of biological systems at many different levels.Bioinformaticians need to be cognizant of diverse scientific fields: basic and molecular biology, genetics, mathematics, statistics, and computer science at a minimum, thus requiring a thoroughly interdisciplinary set of skills to successfully carry out their duties.Due to the growing importance of bioinformatics in enabling modern biomedical research, programs and core facilities have been established in most academic institutions in the developed world over the last 30 years.At present, there are relatively few research and higher education institutions in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) that have incorporated bioinformatics into their academic curricula or are hosting bioinformatics research or service groups [1,2].There are many reasons for this, including the relative lack of research projects requiring computational analysis, lack of local expertise, lack of required infrastructure, lack of appropriate internal financial support, and the resistance of many academic institutions to the incorporation of new fields of teaching and research [3].However, there is an increasing recognition in some African countries, and other LMICs, that bioinformatics needs to be developed as an independent discipline, both in the academic curricula and in research portfolios [4,5].H3ABioNet is a Pan-African network of bioinformaticians, funded by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), that aims to provide technical and scientific support to the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) genomics research program [6].As part of its mission, H3ABioNet has developed training and capacity building projects ranging from introductory courses to advanced workshops on bioinformatics and related topics, and from

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Ce document est hébergé sur son dépôt institutionnel d'origine.

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0