Training Programme in “Drug Discovery and Development through Bioinformatics” at Anna University

Hands on Training Programme in 
“Drug Discovery and Development through Bioinformatics”
20th - 30th, December 2011
Anna University, Chennai

PROGRAMME BACKGROUND :
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area, which may be defined as the application of computational and analytical methods to solve biological problems. This exciting area is a relatively young field, and the pace of research is driven by the large and rapidly increasing amount of data being produced. The data generated by the experimental scientists requires annotation and detailed analysis in order to turn it into knowledge which can then be applied to improve health care via, for example, new drugs and gene therapy, medical practices, and food production - all of which are now high-profile issues.

To improve human health, scientific discoveries must be translated into practical applications. Such discoveries typically begin at “the bench” with basic research — in which scientists study disease at a molecular or cellular level — then progress to the clinical level, or the patient's “bedside.” Scientists are increasingly aware that this bench-to-bedside approach to translational research is really a two-way street. Basic scientists provide clinicians with new tools for use in patients and for assessment of their impact, and clinical researchers make novel observations about the nature and progression of disease that often stimulate basic investigations.