Incorporating Bioinformatics Into The Biochemistry Curriculum

Bioinformatics is fast becoming an integral part of the biological sciences, and it is enhancing the use of genome data and the associated computational resources in basic and applied research in biotechnology and biomedical sciences. Efforts to increase the ability of African scientists to process and analyse genomic and post-genomic data ought to begin with the introduction of bioinformatics into the curriculum. Most web-based genomic databases and sequence analysis sites are essentially free, and these can be utilized for teaching as well as research. This presentation highlights some introductory bioinformatics tools that are freely available and can be quickly understood by higher level undergraduate as well as postgraduate students.