Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
On the Horizon
The latest version of BLAST available from the NCBI illustrates movement toward integration of
methodologies within the same toolset. As in other areas of computing, the hundreds of
bioinformatics methods and tools have grown out of niche areas to address specific needs of
investigators. However, as the field of bioinformatics matures and methodologies are extended out
from their original niche areas, researchers are clustering around standards and a small subset of the
many tools that have been developed, and rely less and less on translation utilities such as
READSEQ. Similarly, whether traditional methods, such as dot matrix analysis and still-experimental
methods, such as genetic algorithms, survive into the next generation of tools depends on how these
techniques can be adapted to support current challenges in a computationally robust and user-
friendly manner.
Web portals, such as Entrez and, to a lesser extent, ExPASy, represent the first level of integration of
bioinformatics data, methodologies, and tools. They also illustrate the central role that funding from
the government and academic institutions plays in the continued development and maintenance of
tools to support the bioinformatics community.
