Computer technology has been applied as a timesaving tool to almost every industry in almost every conceivable way.
It has cut down on the number of people needed to perform certain tasks, and the amount of time needed to complete complex calculations.
The field of medicine has been no exception. The evolving field of bioinformatics is helping researchers test theories in much less time than was ever possible before. The reason is simple: DNA is a simple four-letter code, and there are 20 amino acids that are the building blocks of life.
“Biology in general is computer ready,” says Alex Titomirov, chairman and CEO of InforMax, a bioinformatics developer in Rockwell, Md. “It’s very suitable for computer modeling. Bioinformatics is enabling researchers to better understand and predict outcomes.”
Researchers can create a new protein and see how it will interact with the body. The software can also be used to help researchers visualize how certain interactions occur within the body, so they have a better understanding of the entire process.
“It’s like a virtual laboratory,” says Titomirov. “It will lead to the development of better drugs or biological models which will lead to a better understanding of the body’s metabolism.”
As the data about drugs and their interaction with the body grows, so, too, will their applications.
“In the future, a doctor will be able to use the information about a person’s unique sequence of DNA to predict which kind of medicine will work best for the patient,” says Titomirov. “A major application may also be custom-made medicine. This will be the next big level of medical development.”
Each person will have a medicine created for them that will have the most effect, based on their particular DNA.
This technology does not eliminate the need for laboratory experiments to confirm findings. What it does do, though, is predict which protein sequences will be the most effective, and allow the researcher to start with those. This eliminates huge cost and time waste as it narrows down what tests need to be performed.
“The genomics revolution is on its way,” says Titomirov. “The bioinformatics tools will be used to mine the useful data out of the human genome project.”
He predicts the information will be available to researchers and consumers via the Internet, which will further drive the growth of both industries.
“About 45 percent of Internet traffic is related to health care,” says Titomirov. “In the next five years, this is really going to accelerate.”
How to reach: InforMax, www.informax.com
Todd Shryock ([email protected]) is SBN’s special reports editor.
