Bioinformatics is a rapidly emerging discipline that applies advances in computer
science and technology to the problem of analyzing and understanding the genetic
code. The Bioinformatics major is a Computer Coordinate with Biology major that
emphasizes the study of algorithms (on the computing side) and the study of
genetics and molecular biology (on the biology side).
The Bioinformatics major requires 9 computer science and mathematics courses , 6-7
biology and chemistry courses, and a senior exercise in either computer science or
biology. The required computer science courses are Computer Science 115L, Computer
Science 203, Computer Science 215L, Computer Science 320L, Computer Science 435,
and one computer science elective. The required mathematics courses are Mathematics
131 (or Mathematics 125-126), Mathematics 107, and either Mathematics 257,
Mathematics 252, or Mathematics 254. The required chemistry course is Chemistry 121
(or Chemistry 111-112). The required biology courses are Biology 152L, Biology 153L,
Biology 221L, Biology 428, and either Biology 226L, Biology 227L or Biology 317L.
The senior exercise requires either a semester-long project in computer science
(Computer Science 425) or biology (Biology 419 or 425) and a concurrent seminar in the
same department (either Computer Science 403 or Biology 403).. A minimum grade of
C- must be maintained in all courses counted toward the major.
NEW COURSES
CPSC 435: Computational Biology. Recent advances in understanding the
molecular basis of life rely not only on the traditional laboratory
methods of the biologist but also on computational techniques for
extracting meaning from enormous amounts of data. This field presents
hard new problems to the computer scientist, as well as opportunities
to bring existing techniques to bear on a new domain. In this course
we will study algorithms and data structures that address such
problems as multiple sequence alignment, physical mapping,
three-dimensional structure prediction, genome rearrangements, and the
construction of phylogenetic trees. Pre-requisites: CPSC 320
(Analysis of Algorithms)
Biology 428 BioInformatics. The cell is the fundamental unit of life
and its function is largely determined by the complete set of proteins
that it contains at any given time. Laboratories worldwide aim to
describe protein expression levels under different conditions in many
cell types from diverse organisms. Related goals include analysis of
protein-protein interactions and functional analysis of all proteins.
This course will use commercially-available software packages and
other advanced technology to search genomic databases, analyze
sequence data, evaluate differential expression of proteins and study
protein structure and function relationships. The course is divided
into three parts: Protein Synthesis and Structure (from genome to
protein), Experimental Methods (2D gel electrophoresis, mass
spectrometry, two-hybrid methods, micro-array technology) and
BioInformatics Methods (public and private genome and proteome
databases, sequence annotation tools, phylogeny and structure
analysis, data mining strategies). The clinical implications for
development of new therapies and drug discovery will be discussed
throughout the semester. The pre-requisites for this course are Biol
153L, Chem 121L (or 111L-112L) and one of the following courses:
Biology 221, 226L, 227L, 317, Chemistry 401 or 404 (With special
permission may be taken without pre-requisite course).
