gms | German Medical Science

The use of informationwas always essential for any advancement in science. The life sciences werebased on phenomenological information for a long time. Information was mainlydescription of observations and the interpretation could not reflect theinaccessible molecular level. Since biomolecules and their encoding informationbecame accessible and the basic molecular mechanisms were understood, biologybecomes increasingly data driven. Data analysis and interpretation hasdeveloped into an essential discipline to gain insight into the basic processesgoverning the life of any organism. Bioinformatics develops methods and returnsdiscoveries that could not be gained through individual experimental approachesalone. Various disciplines such as computer science, information technology,mathematics, and statistics are key components to cover with the coming floodof data.

A deeper understanding ofthe molecular background of the transition from homeostasis to disease will requirethe analysis and interpretation of highly complex data. These data can only beinterpreted within the global context of the biological knowledge. Mypresentation will summarize the evolution of bioinformatics and systems biologyfrom simple sequence analysis to sophisticated knowledge management andcomputational models in systems biology.