APPLICATIONS

Integration and interoperability among different software vendors, database providers, computer hardware, and in-house compilations have become the key focus of research pertaining to both bioinformatics and clinical informatics. The complexities of using different formats is apparent whenever a researcher attempts to access data from the over 800 databases on the Web and this reinforces the need for standard data formats and interfaces. "The key is to design user interfaces that are intuitive, easy to use and powerful," says Katherine Austin, Technical Insights Research Analyst. "For example, a proteomics researcher should be able to cross-reference and study sequence databases, gene-expression data and structural data for a particular protein in one sitting." Once data is accessible from multiple sources, researchers will be able to build cohesive networks from separate databases, share data and supplement each other's results far more easily. There is also an urgent need for tools that offer the benefits that the Web did for information searches. This could mean combining independent applications onto one standardised interface or designing a single package that provides cross-database search and analysis functionality. While the current trend in the genome analysis arena, for instance, is to use a basic set of shared tools, the future requires value-added applications that can move from task to task and stage to stage, as a particular research project progresses. "The difficulty is defining the applications that will be most useful to researchers in the future and which data standards and operating systems will prevail and thus should be supported," explains Dr. Austin. Integration projects such as BioMOBY, funded by Genome Canada, and myGrid, funded by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council provide systems that enable scientists to browse, identify and access multiple bioinformatics services including databases. Both groups agreed to merge the best of their tools into a unified registry system to support both the projects. "Not only do the different data repositories need to be able to communicate with each other, but the scientists also need to work to build bridges between disciplines," adds Dr. Austin. Compugen Ltd, Israel with its systematic identification of adenosine to inosine (A to I) RNA editing sites in the human transcriptome has increased the number of known (A to I) editing sites from approximately 100 to more than 10,000. The company's predictive approach combines methods from advanced mathematics, computer science and physics into life science leading to a more sophisticated understanding of important biological phenomena such as alternative splicing, naturally occurring sense/antisense pairs, and RNA editing. Solexa, UK, is working towards the commercialisation of a new platform for genetic analysis, based on sequencing-by-synthesis and molecular arrays to support various types of genetic analysis, including DNA sequencing, gene expression, genotyping and micro-RNA analysis. In addition to the single molecule array system, a proprietary bioinformatics system aligns the 25-base sequencing output against a reference system. This is not only expected to reduce the cost of human sequencing in the long term, but also be highly beneficial for scoring of polymorphisms, detection of rare somatic mutations in cancer genetics, target discovery, pharmacogenomics and personalised healthcare applications. In clinical informatics, IBM has taken the initiative to build a test bed called the Interoperable Health Information Infrastructure (IHII). IHII is focused on developing a technology that will enable sharing of electronic health records across multiple regional health networks in an open standards environment. Apart from lowering costs, the electronic storage of medical data will allow public health officials to easily analyse that data, identify emerging health trends and improve the overall effectiveness and quality of medical care. If you are interested in an analysis providing manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview, summary, challenges, and latest coverage of Emerging Technologies in Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics, send an e-mail to Radhika Menon Theodore, European Corporate Communications, at rmtheodore@frost.com.