Establishing bioinformatics research in the Asia Pacific

Shoba Ranganathan,Martti Tammi,Michael Gribskov,Tin Wee Tan

doi:10.1186/1471-2105-7-s5-s1

Abstract

In 1998, the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet), Asia's oldest bioinformatics organisation was set up to champion the advancement of bioinformatics in the Asia Pacific. By 2002, APBioNet was able to gain sufficient critical mass to initiate the first International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB) bringing together scientists working in the field of bioinformatics in the region. This year, the InCoB2006 Conference was organized as the 5th annual conference of the Asia-Pacific Bioinformatics Network, on Dec. 18–20, 2006 in New Delhi, India, following a series of successful events in Bangkok (Thailand), Penang (Malaysia), Auckland (New Zealand) and Busan (South Korea). This Introduction provides a brief overview of the peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication in this Supplement. It exemplifies a typical snapshot of the growing research excellence in bioinformatics of the region as we embark on a trajectory of establishing a solid bioinformatics research culture in the Asia Pacific that is able to contribute fully to the global bioinformatics community.

Highlights

Open AccessEstablishing bioinformatics research in the Asia PacificShoba Ranganathan*1,2, Martti Tammi3,2, Michael Gribskov4 and Tin Wee Tan2Address: 1Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Research Institute, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia, 2Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore, 3Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore and 4Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences 915 W
Konagaya [32] reviews currently available grid computing resources and applications, while providing a futuristic extension from a computing to a knowledge grid. This special issue of BMC Bioinformatics is a milestone in Asia Pacific bioinformatics research
As bioinformatics starts to mature in the Asia Pacific region, research leaders, such as those in the recently formed Asian Association for Societies in Bioinformatics (AASBi) [33] and administrators of our respective institutions must plan for the network and resource infrastructure of the decade, the so-called cyberinfrastructure for biology (CIBIO) [34]

Summary

Introduction

Address: 1Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Research Institute, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia, 2Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore, 3Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore and 4Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences 915 W. Published: 18 December 2006 BMC Bioinformatics 2006, 7(Suppl 5):S1 doi:10.1186/1471-2105-7-S5-S1. APBioNet – Fifth International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB2006) Shoba Ranganathan, Martti Tammi, Michael Gribskov, Tin Wee Tan Proceedings

Conclusion

32. Konagaya A: Trends in Life Science Grid