Bioinformatics is a field that melds information technology and biology, chiefly through the development of software that seeks out patterns and regularities in different biological data sources. The 2004 database issue of Nucleic Acids Research contains descriptions of 548 databases of value to biologists. The 2003 Web Server Issue of the same journal reported on 131 web servers offering an array of useful bioinformatics services from simple pattern prediction to three-dimensional protein structure prediction. The Bioinformatics Core was created in March 2003 to support the UMass DERC researchers in selecting and applying these computational tools and educating them to integrate the extensive information contained in the biological databases into their research activities. Specifically, this Core provides bioinformatics services in the following areas: l)Integrate bioinformatics resources. 2) Perform bioinformatics analyses. 3) Microarray data analysis. 4) Support research projects with computational tools and implement these tools. This Core has two single processor workstations running the linux operating system and two workstations running Windows. These machines are located in the office space occupied by the Core. Two two-processor server type machines running linux and using RAID for data storage are dedicated database and web servers. One of these server-type computers is located in the IS Department of UMMS, is monitored by the IS Department, and is backed up daily. The Bioinformatics Core is predominantly used for microarray analysis and a database was designed and implemented to store microarray data from several UMass DERC members' laboratories. The data can be accessed through a www browser and allows limited data mining. The database is constantly being improved according to specifications of the researchers. This Core enhances the productivity of diabetes research by a) providing support in the use of standard bioinformatics tools, b) facilitating access to biological data, c) automating bioinformatics analyses, and d) supporting analysis of microarray data sets.
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