Introduction to Bioinformatics
Explore the fundamentals of bioinformatics in this comprehensive 8-hour course. Delve into the definition, history, and importance of informatics in biology, examining landmark projects like the Human Genome Project and Mouse Genome. Investigate synteny between human, mouse, and fish genomes, and learn about the crucial role of databases in biological research. Discover primary, secondary, structure, and function databases while mastering sequence conservation and analysis techniques. Study essential algorithms such as Needleman-Wunsch and Smith-Waterman for global and local alignments, and explore PAM and BLOSUM substitution matrices. Gain insights into Hidden Markov Models and their applications in bioinformatics. Examine the basics of phylogenetics, including tree taxonomy, distance calculation, and tree-building methods like UPGMA and Neighbor Joining. Practice multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction using MEGA software. Understand gene duplication, speciation, and gene-species tree reconciliation to round out your introduction to this vital field at the intersection of biology and computer science. Read more