Posted: 2/19/2012 7:11:55 AM EDT
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Anyone feel like saying a few words on the topic?
I'm pretty familiar with the application of baysian predictive algorithms but I know zip about biology or genomics. My nephew (a hotshot surgeon with many opinions on subjects outside the field of his own expertise) was going on about it this weekend and now I'm somewhat curious. If you're working in the field, what are you working on? Really, I'm just looking for some almost random facts to whet my appetite. I know I'd like to hear more about epigenetics. |
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I'm always had a fondness for twin studies so they pique my interest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184992/?tool=pubmed
Alu repeats have been surprising researchers for years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3272032/?tool=pubmed Here's one application of bioinformatics to IncRNAs to help elucidate their role in mechanisms and disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269675/?tool=pubmed Here's a real application of bioinformatics and epigenetics regarding cardiomyopathy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22025602 |
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Quoted:
I'm always had a fondness for twin studies so they pique my interest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184992/?tool=pubmed Alu repeats have been surprising researchers for years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3272032/?tool=pubmed Here's one application of bioinformatics to IncRNAs to help elucidate their role in mechanisms and disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269675/?tool=pubmed Here's a real application of bioinformatics and epigenetics regarding cardiomyopathy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22025602 Thanks Gixxer. I sent your fourth link on to my surgeon nephew for his expert analysis. The paper in the second link is a little eye opening. I didn't know so much is unknown or just recently known. Thanks for sending it. |
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I currently study the distribution of fitness effects of mutations in genes. Simply put, I attempt to experimentally describe whether a mutation in one of your genes will kill you, make you sick or have no effect at all. I work closely with bioinformatic folks who are generally applied mathematicians and work to apply my data to current theoretical models of evolution.
I can only loosely describe what they do because I am not well versed in math/statistics. In general in the DNA and evolution world, they take data generated from all the sequencing generated from different animals (this is now a much bigger deal than it used to be because of high throughput DNA sequencing technologies) and attempt to solve problems such as how long ago species became distinct from a common ancestor, how frequent mutations are in a population, the effects of environment on adaptation and evolution, and use computer simulations to attempt to mimic what we observe in nature. In the RNA and therapeutics world, they develop models to predict RNAi specificity, model how small molecules or proteins bind to other proteins, attempt to predict epidemics from diseases and use modeling to rationally design new drugs (this is how drugs like Prilosec were created). Overall it is a really broad field ranging from molecular interaction to whole organism evolution. The people I know are either computer scientists or mathematicians who minored (or at least had an interest) in biology. As you would imagine, there is significant disagreements between how experimental biologists and computational biologists see the world, but it stimulates great conversations. |