Bioinformatics Tools for Genomics and Proteomics Research

生物体的基因组由它的全套DNA组成。基因组学涉及对基因组序列和功能的理解。DNA编码所有生物发育和功能的遗传指令，包括蛋白质的产生。蛋白质组学研究所有蛋白质的结构和功能。蛋白质通常通过与其他蛋白质相互作用来发挥功能。

The genome of an organism consists of the complete set of its DNA. Genomics concerns the understanding of the genome sequence and functions. DNA encodes the genetic instructions for the development and functioning of all organisms, including the production of proteins. Proteomics studies the structure and functions of all proteins. Proteins usually perform their functions by interacting with other proteins. The possibility of obtaining the sequence of the human genome opened unprecedented possibilities for cancer research, genetic disorders, disease control, personalized medicine, etc. Sequencing technologies enable sequencing of genomes at ever decreasing costs but processing and analyzing huge amounts of data is made possible by continuously evolving algorithms and software programs. The ongoing main objective of my research program is the development of advanced algorithms and tools critical in analyzing such big data to uncover essential aspects of the structure and function of DNA and proteins. Short term objectives include improvements in error correction of DNA sequencing data, genome and metagenome assembly, genomic variation detection, whole genome tiling, protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction, and alignment of PPI networks. These bioinformatics tools will impact many applications in biological and health sciences by enabling and accelerating the discovery process in these areas, helping to improve the health of Canadians. Original and innovative ideas used for building such tools will help advancing the knowledge in several areas of Computer Science as well. The research objectives proposed involve effective HQP training in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment.