Introduction to Bioinformatics

Written by a pioneer of the use of bioinformatics in research, Introduction to Bioinformatics 2/e introduces the student to the power of bioinformatics as a set of scientific tools. The book explains how to access the data archives of genomes and proteins, and the kind of questions these data and tools can answer - how to make inferences from the data archives, to make connections among them, and to derive useful and interesting predictions. On 26 June 2000, the completion of the draft sequence of the Human Genome saw the sciences of biology and medicine change forever. It promised new insights into our genetic make-up, how our genes shape who we are, and how we function, and new possibilities for an improved quality of life, exploiting new knowledge to design novel, more effective drugs. At the heart of this breakthrough lies a scientific discipline which is now one of the most important information gathering, data-mining, and knowledge-building tools in current research and healthcare development: bioinformatics. Retaining and enhancing the rich pedagogy and lucid presentation of the first edition, the book is accompanied by a fully integrated Online Resource Centre, encouraging students to explore the computational tools of bioinformatics in a relevant and stimulating way. About The Author: Arthur Lesk Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, USA. Table Of Contents: Introduction Genome Organization and Evolution Archives and Information Retrieval Alignments and Phylogentic Trees Protein Structure and Drug Discovery Proteomics and Systems Biology Special Features: Maintains lucid style and clarity of explanations for which the author is renowned, making the subject truly accessible to a wide range of students Rich pedagogy includes many exercises, problems, and WebLems to encourage students to explore the subject for themselves Careful balance between biology and computer science: introduces those aspects of computer