What is Bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics is a new information technology discipline that seeks to integrate biology, genetics, pharmacology, manufacturing, clinical medicine and information systems. Look for Bioinformatics to be one of the fastest growing areas of IT spending in the years ahead.

Bioinformatics is a new area of computing and information systems for several reasons:

Only recently have genetics (genes) and proteomics (proteins) been well defined to the point where computer algorithms could be applied to their study and manipulation.

Only recently have computers, databases and telecommunications been affordable enough to store and manipulate the enormous amounts of data generated by biotechnology and clinical medicine, let alone insurance.

New pharmaceuticals must be discovered at an every increasing rate if pharmaceutical companies are to maintain their high P/Es in the public markets.

Drug interactions and new drug side effects are extremely expensive to mitigate and very dangerous to the reputation of a pharmaceutical manufacturer, healthcare provider or insurer.

Initially, Bioinformatics was viewed as a biology- and chemistry-oriented IT profession. We believe that Bioinformatics should be viewed as the integration of clinical and biological IT. This would encourage all parties to new drug discovery and use to integrate clinical, administrative, financial and biotechnology data. Only this orientation protects the final interests of the patient/consumer, that is, to find a “sliver bullet” for an injury or illness that is safe and effective given his or her genetic background and life. [1]

As biotechnology databases become more common, there will be better integration among enterprises involved in discovery, clinical trials, insurance, managed care and regulatory approval. The reasons are economic. At more than $800 million for a new drug, failure to precisely target a drug and a patient population to avoid side effects will become unacceptable.

Bioinformatics offers the promise of using software to simulate illness, injury, human and animal clinical effects and genetic/proteomic models.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is becoming more like computer-aided manufacturing as a result of Bioinformatics. Computer modeling will replace hit and miss guesses at the effects of small and large molecules on individuals and their clinical needs. Given the very large numbers of patient deaths per year due to drug interactions and personal genetic anomalies (which make each of us unique,) this can’t happen too soon.

[1] PSL White Paper on Bioinformatics for EMC (http://www.emc.com/vertical/pdfs/life_sciences/interstitial_1.jsp)