What is bioinformatics?

Computing meets biology

Bioinformatics arose because modern biology generates data on a scale that cannot be analysed by hand. Sequencing a single genome produces billions of data points, and comparing many genomes multiplies that further. Bioinformatics provides the computational methods — algorithms, software, and statistics — to store, search, and make sense of this data, bridging the gap between raw biological measurements and biological insight.

Sequence alignment and analysis

A central task in bioinformatics is sequence alignment: arranging DNA, RNA, or protein sequences to identify regions of similarity that may reflect shared function or evolutionary relationship. Tools such as BLAST allow researchers to search databases for sequences resembling one of interest.

Other core activities include assembling genomes from sequencing reads, identifying genes, predicting protein structure, and analysing patterns of gene expression — all of which depend on well-designed algorithms and reliable reference data.

Databases and resources

Bioinformatics relies on large public databases that curate biological data under shared standards. GenBank and the European Nucleotide Archive hold nucleotide sequences; UniProt curates protein sequences and functional information; and many specialised resources serve particular data types. These databases let researchers worldwide deposit, retrieve, and reuse data, making them a backbone of reproducible biology.

Bioinformatics and FAIR data

Because bioinformatics is fundamentally about managing and reusing biological data, it is closely aligned with the FAIR principles — making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Consistent identifiers, standard file formats, rich metadata, and deposition in trustworthy data repositories are central to good bioinformatics practice and to ensuring that analyses can be reproduced and built upon.