| The explosion of activity in genetic engineering, including the mapping and sequencing of complete genomes, is generating vast amounts of biological information that holds the key to understanding many of the basic processes of life. Bioinformatics, a bold new interdisciplinary approach to the integration of biological information at all levels, is crucial to organizing this wealth of information to support advances not only in basic biology, but also in biotechnology, medicine, agriculture, energy, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It is a major focus at Boston University.
The comparative analyses of the newly available complete genome sequences provide an excellent example of bioinformatics in action. Functional information about genes in one organism directly implies information about those in other organisms. This new information nearly always suggests new experimental tests of these genes. To aid in such analyses Boston University's Biomolecular Engineering Research Center has created an integrated on-line database of all potential protein encoding genes from all currently complete genomes. This Internet resource exploits the availability of the University's supercomputers both for the comparative analysis of complete genomes and as a powerful database search engine. It is part of a current and very active bioinformatics research effort at Boston University.
To support this research effort which requires scientists with a deep working knowledge of the biological sciences and computational methods, the University has initiated a graduate training program in bioinformatics. This multidisciplinary program builds the skills necessary, in both the biological sciences and the computational sciences, to meet the enormous challenge of ordering, organizing, synthesizing, understanding, and applying the vast amount of genetic information that continues to accrue. It is supported by a $2.5 million Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) grant from the National Science Foundation.
Charles DeLisi, professor of biomedical engineering, dean of the College of Engineering, and one of the founders of the Human Genome Project, directs the program. It draws on the strengths of three departments - biomedical engineering, chemistry, and biology - and four interdepartmental centers - the Center for BioDynamics, the Center for Computational Science, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology, and the Biomolecular Engineering Research Center. In addition, the program utilizes the University's own resources in massively parallel supercomputing as well as computing resources available to it as a partner in the National Computational Science Alliance.
Students also participate in seminars at the College of Communication to learn how to work with journalists to communicate complex scientific information. They also attend courses in the ethical and legal implications of modern biology taught by faculty drawn from the department of sociology and the Schools of Law and Medicine. The program blends a strong research component with practical experience through rotations and internships in industry. It is supported by an advisory committee composed of prominent leaders in biotechnology and computational science drawn from both the academic and private sectors. |
