Forum:Preparation needed to get into Bioinformatics
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13 days ago
周添思 • 0

So, I'm an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science and Engineering. I'm on my senior year and expected to graduate this June. Due to several conditions, I need to graduate one year late. I want to pursue master degree in computational biology, because I just love biology so much. I plan to take classes on Biology department that can help me get into Bioinformatics field. I will use that one year to take the classes. So, which subject that I need to take to prepare me into the Bioinformatics field?

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This question was also asked on bioinformatics SE: https://bioinformatics.stackexchange.com/questions/23210/preparation-needed-to-get-into-bioinformatic-field

Please keep in mind that posting the same question to multiple sites can be perceived as bad etiquette, because efforts may be made to address a problem that has already been solved elsewhere in the meantime.

The helpful thing to do if you do decide to post on multiple forums is to add a link to the other forum posts on each post so people will look at the other posts before investing their effort.

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13 days ago

This question (and variants very similar to it) have been asked many times on this site. I'd recommend searching for some of those questions.

In short, a solid foundation of molecular biology, genetics, and experimental design will be helpful pretty much regardless of what you do later. A basic grasp of stats will not go wasted either, though most Masters programs should cover that as well.

So if you don't have of a good understanding of what a gene, DNA, RNA, and proteins really are, courses that teach that will be very useful.

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13 days ago
Mensur Dlakic ★ 28k

I think those considering a career in bioinformatics may be helped by making a choice between these two options:

  • The analysis of biological molecules using computers and statistical techniques
  • The science of developing and utilizing computer databases and algorithms to accelerate and enhance biological research

If the second option is more appealing, a career in computational biology, or a supporting career in bioinformatics, may be better choices.

There are many definitions of bioinformatics, and I recommend the following paper to my students:

http://archive.gersteinlab.org/papers/e-print/whatis-mim/text.pdf

A short version of their definition would be something like this: Bioinformatics studies macromolecules by applying “informatics” techniques to understand and organize the information on a large scale.

A key thing here is that bioinformatics works with biological macromolecules, so understanding them is essential. At a minimum that means a couple of biochemistry and molecular biology classes. Understanding how these molecules work together and how they are regulated requires a molecular genetic class. Beyond that we get into specifics depending on individual interests. To study these molecules directly, one would probably need a course in macromolecular methods. Someone studying proteins will probably need a course in protein structure. If a person has no interest in bench work, getting stronger foundation in statistics and algorithms could be beneficial. A proper bioinformatics course would probably be useful to tie everything together.

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13 days ago
dsull ★ 7.2k

If you can, find a professor to do bioinformatics research with. That’s the best way to learn in my opinion.

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I agree that's the best way, but that route has 3 important requirements: a professor who 1) knows bioinformatics; 2) is willing to teach biology and bioinformatics to a novice student; 3) is willing to accept that they may not get anything out of this work other than helping a student gain knowledge.

I don't know many people locally who fulfil criterion #1, and obviously that number goes down when applying the other two criteria.

I think you also imply that this is good in addition to coursework, or as a backup plan,.

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yes, i guess it depends on what institution the original poster is currently at. Much easier to find such a professor at some places vs. others (I was privileged to be at such a place for my studies). But, of course, this will be in addition to coursework; almost all BS or MS programs require coursework anyways.

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