Thoroughly revised and updated, Exploring Bioinformatics: A Project-Based Approach, Second Edition is intended for an introductory course in bioinformatics at the undergraduate level. Through hands-on projects, students are introduced to current biological problems and then explore and develop bioinformatic solutions to these issues. Each chapter presents a key problem, provides basic biological concepts, introduces computational techniques to address the problem, and guides students through the use of existing web-based tools and software solutions. This progression prepares students to tackle the On-Your-Own Project, where they develop their own software solutions. Topics such as antibiotic resistance, genetic disease, and genome sequencing provide context and relevance to capture student interest. With a focus on developing students' problem-solving skills, the Second Edition of Exploring Bioinformatics: A Project-Based Approach is a contemporary and comprehensive introduction to this rapidly growing field.
New to this edition:
- Offers a flexible approach to understanding key bioinformatics algorithms with exercises that can be used with or without programming.
- For programming courses, pseudocode allows students to implement algorithms in any desired programming language.
- Includes more substantive web-based projects for a more comprehensive, hands-on introduction to bioinformatics in non-programming courses.
- Contains updated material reflecting changes in how bioinformatics is used: next-generation sequencing, metagenomic analysis, statistical methods, etc.
- Contains more instructive and relevant case studies as well as more cohesive connections between the case studies and the exercises.
Chapter 1 Bioinformatics and Genomic Data: Investigating a Complex Genetic Disease
Chapter 2 Computational Manipulation of DNA: Genetic Screening for Disease Alleles
Chapter 3 Sequence Alignment: Investigating an Influenza Outbreak
Chapter 4 Database Searching and Multiple Alignment: Investigating Antibiotic Resistance
Chapter 5 Substitution Matrices and Protein Alignments: Virulence Factors in E. coli
Chapter 6 Distance Measurement in Molecular Phylogenetics: Evolution of Mammals
Chapter 7 Tree Building in Molecular Phylogenetics: The Three Domains of Life
Chapter 8 DNA Sequencing: Identification of Novel Viral Pathogens
Chapter 9 Sequence-Based Gene Prediction: Annotation of a Resistance Plasmid
Chapter 10 Advanced Gene Prediction: Identification of an Influenza Resistance Gene
Chapter 11 Protein Structure Prediction and Analysis: Rational Drug Design
Chapter 12 Nucleic Acid Structure Prediction: PCR and RNAi
Appendix Introduction to Programming
Caroline St. Clair (Computer Science) is a Professor at North Central College in Naperville, IL, where she teaches an introductory bioinformatics course for students majoring in computer science, biology, biochemistry and mathematics. Dr. St. Clair holds degrees in Computer Science from Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University. She has worked with undergraduate students in the area of data mining.
Jonathan Visick (Biology) is Professor at North Central College in Naperville, IL, where co-teaches an introductory bioinformatics course for students majoring in computer science, biology, biochemistry and mathematics. Dr. Visick holds degrees in Microbiology from Brigham Young University and the University of Washington. He actively involves undergraduates in his research on repair of isoaspartyl protein damage in Escherichia coli.