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Bioinformatics is a comprehensive
science that deals with a wide range of biological phenomena from
the standpoint of computation. These phenomena range from genome
sequences to the 3D structure of proteins, function of proteins and
mutual relationship among cells, organs and a body. Aiming to become
a core base for bioinformatics research in Japan, Computational
Biology Research Center applies advanced information science theory
and large-scale high-speed computational systems to R&D efforts
so that we can contribute to the dramatic advance in bioinformatics
and its systemization.
Up to now, information technologies
in the field of bioinformatics have been developed as individually
assistive tools for tasks such as searching for homologous sequences
in a database and estimating 3D structure of proteins. Our plan is
to merge and enhance those technologies by giving them a firm
foundation in information theory, and eventually to develop new
means of biological research by computer modeling of biological
phenomena and applying highly accurate computer simulation. Although
it would be impossible for the computational approach to replace all
molecular-biology experiments that are now being performed, it is
expected to contribute in reducing the number of experiments, the
cost, and time required for development, and ethical and safety
problems. There are consequently great expectations for computer
techniques to become the foundation of the biotech-industry in the
21st century.
Computational Biology
Research Center is organized to research bioinformatics only in
terms of information theory completely independent from
experimental-biology projects. In this regard, we at the Center must
be more aware of the freedom and responsibility that this format
gives us. We put great importance on ongoing and close collaboration
with experimental biologists and to applying the results of our
research as quickly as possible. Furthermore, as opposed to adhering
to existing experimental techniques, we also aim to propose
information-processing technologies suitable for novel experimental
techniques that are now being proposed everyday, and to propose new
experimental systems on our own. In short, our goal is to achieve
major breakthroughs in bioinformatics with interdisciplinal
gathering of researchers from a wide variety of
fields.
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