BioS/CSE 090: Bioinformatics in the 21st century

The human genome was just the beginning. New experimental technologies are still transforming medicine and biology. One day, inexpensive genome sequencing will isolate pre-cancerous tissue before it becomes a risk, cryoelectron microscopy will reveal the intricate structures of molecular complexes, and microarray technologies will uncover a systematic picture of gene expression in heath and disease. This transformation is possible only through the emerging science of informatics, which gathers, integrates, analyzes and visualizes the new wealth of biological data to make informed decisions. Through informatics, patient histories can be analyzed; drugs can be designed; genomes can be assembled. With these fundamental innovations and those on the horizon, it remains unclear how careers in science, especially medicine, will change as a result. This course, which expands on topics featured in “Bioscience in the 21st century”, will discuss the informatics revolution and its impact on science, ethics, and careers in medicine and biology.