The last few years have witnessed an explosion in DNA sequence, gene expression and protein structural data, which collectively provide a wealth of information about how organisms function and how they have evolved. Computational biology is an emerging field that, in the short term, specifically addresses how to access, manipulate, and interpret the accumulating mountain of biological data. Computational biology has made great progress, and most genetic experiments now start with computational analysis. In the long term, however, computational biology must address deeper questions about the meaning of this information in the context of living systems.

Biological inquiry at this level of complexity requires an interdisciplinary approach that involves not only diverse expertise in the biological sciences – from evolutionary to structural biology – but also expertise in disciplines for which biologists typically have only rudimentary training, including computer science, statistics and mathematics.

The CMB training group provides graduate students with the necessary tools and expertise to approach biological questions from a systems-wide perspective. In the previous funding period, student training focused on discerning biological information from genome sequence and expression data and included four interrelated areas of research focus: genomics, bioinformatics, genome evolution, and macromolecular structure and function. Bioinformatics has since been integrated into each area of research, and has changed not only the way we access and interpret biological data, but also the way we understand fundamental principles of biology. The growth of the CMB training group has paralleled the emerging field of bioinformatics, from the first stages of tool development through exploring how genetic information is utilized by living systems.

The research focus areas in the new project reflect the growth of the discipline and define new areas for research emphasis where interdisciplinary approaches can offer insights into biological problems. Faculty at both ISU and NMSU are actively conducting work in these overlapping areas of research focus that include genome informatics, macromolecular dynamics and interactions, and metabolic and regulatory networks.