Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is one of the most sought-after courses these days. However, breaking into this new field is not as simple as it might appear. Unlike in the IT boom, where a diploma in pro-gramming offered lucrative jobs, in the field of bio-informatics an entry-level position requires more expertise.

Strongest demand mainly exists for individuals with degrees in the life sciences and computer sciences, and multiple years of programming and database development experience. Typical com-binations include, a PhD in molecular biology, or biochemistry and B.S. in computer sciences. Life science PhDs, largely self-taught in key computer skills, with industry experience, have good op-portunities. People who emerge from the few doctoral programmes in bioinformatics have tremendous opportunities.

Biopharma companies look for candidates with computer science skills for positions at the staff scientist and senior staff scientist levels. That's largely because databases and search tools are still being developed. Emphasis is expected to shift in a few years to interpreting information in databases. Companies will then look for biologists with the right computational skills. Skills required: Knowledge of UNIX, the operating system used for many computational biology programmes, a good grasp of the concept of relational databases, which are the heart of bioinformatics; and skill with Structured Query Language (SQL), a language used to query databases. In the future, knowledge of object-oriented databases may be increasingly important. Programming skills are also essen-tial. Skills with C, the programming language will help individuals learn Perl, the scripting language widely used in bioinformatics. Object-oriented languages, such as Java, will be increasingly im-portant. Expert knowledge of sequence-analysis programmes like BLAST and FASTA is critical. Web skills are essential, including the ability to write some Hypertext markup Language (HTML).

Recruiters often go overboard over applicants who have applied computational biology skills in a practical way.The individual who wrote a program, for instance, and used it in thesis or postdoctoral work, might have an advantage over a similar individual who just took programming courses.

There is a growing demand for bioinformaticians. This field also has the impetus to grow parellel to the IT industry. At pres-ent, the opportunities in India are rather limited, but the scenario is expected to change soon.
Bioinformatics: Where to study

Major institutes/universities in India, offering a specialised course in this line are:
1. Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) in Bangalore URL:http://www.ibab.ac.in/
2. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi provides courses in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology. IIT Kharagpur also provides various courses in this area. You need to qualify IIT-JEE Entrance exam for admission into IITs.
3. There is an Advanced (Graduate) Diploma in Bio-informatics offered by the Bioinformatics Centre at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. URL:http://202.41. 10.34/dip.html
4. Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai, claims to have been the first in the country to initiate a bioinformatics programme and advanced diploma in bioinformatics at its School of Bio-technology. URL:http://www.biotechmku.org/
5. The University of Pune, Maharashtra offers an Advanced Diploma in Bioinformatics at the Bioinfo-rmatics Centre. URL:http://bioinfo.ernet.in/
6. Bioinformatics Institute of India, B-15, Sector-3, Noida-201 301. Ph: 0120-2442815, 2442816, 2528421. E-mail: info@ bioinformaticscentre.org; Web: www. bioinfor maticcentre.org - offers a correspondence course on one year post graduate diploma in biomedical informatics.
7. Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies (MACFAST), Thiruvalla, Kerala-689 101; Ph: 0464-2733534, 2603332, 2703874; Web: www. macfast. org


Cheminformatics
Cheminformatics, the combination of chemical synthesis, biological screening and data-mining approaches used to guide drug discovery and development, will be the most sought after science in coming future. The integration of cheminformatics with related disciplines such as genomics, proteomics and the application of these sciences are the most sought-after careers across the globe.

The Institute of Cheminformatics Studies,
B-15, Sector-3, Noida-201301, U.P.
Ph: 0120-2442815, 2442816, 2518421;
E-mail: info@cheminformaticscentre.org - offers a Post Grad-uate Diploma course of one year duration in Cheminformatics.