Lecture 2 - Bioinformatics

Question 1

What is biomedical informatics?

Answer 1

Science of information as applied to, or studied in the context of biomedicine

Question 2

Difference between bioinformatics and health informatics

Answer 2

Bioinformatics deals with molecular data.

Health informatics deals with clinical, patient-generated data.

Question 3

What are ontologies?

Answer 3

Ways of visualising bioinformatic information

Question 4

Potential new disease taxonomy from bioinformatics

Answer 4

According to causative gene or protein

Question 5

Number of bioinformatic databases

Answer 5

Roughly 1500

Question 6

Focus of Japanese bioinformatic databases

Answer 6

Metabolic

Question 7

Focus of Swiss bioinformatic databases

Answer 7

Protein

Question 8

Focus of European/US bioinformatic databases

Answer 8

Broad

Question 9

Approaches to finding bioinformatic information
1)
2)
3)

Answer 9

1) Access a catalogue
2) Use an integrated search engine
3) Directly access databases

Question 10

Example of a bioinformatic catalogue

Answer 10

NAR publishes an annual issue on databases, which are catalogued based on a series of parameters.

Question 11

Example of an integrated search engine

Answer 11

NCBI Entrez

Question 12

Field where bioinformatics is particularly useful

Answer 12

Rare genetic diseases (~8000 known)

Question 13

Challenge for clinicians in bioinformatics

Answer 13

Navigating the large number of resources.

Discerning quality and reliability of resources