The Arkansas Research Alliance proposes to hold five annual workshops on the subject of bioinformatics. The purpose is to bring six major Arkansas institutions into closer collaboration. Those institutions are: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; Arkansas State University; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; University of Arkansas at Little Rock; University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and the National Center for Toxicological Research. The workshops will focus on capabilities at each of the six in sciences related to bioinformatics including artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, food and agriculture, high speed computing, and visualization capabilities. As this work progresses, educational coordination and student encouragement will be important components. Principals from all six institutions are collaborating to accomplish the workshop goals.
The FDA ability to protect the public health is directly related to its ability to access and utilize the latest scientific data. Increased proficiency in collecting, presenting, validating, understanding, and drawing quantitative inference from the massive volume of new scientific results is necessary for success in that effort. The complexity involved requires continued development of new tools available and being developed within the realm of information technology, and the workshops proposed here will address this need. Specific Aims ? Thoroughly understand the resources in Arkansas available for furthering the capabilities in bioinformatics and its associated needs, e.g., access to high speed computing capability and use of computational tools. ? Develop a set of plans to harness and grow those capabilities, especially those that are relevant to the needs of NCTR and FDA. ? Stimulate interest and capability across Arkansas in bioinformatics to produce a larger cadre of expertise as these plans are implemented. ? Enlist NCTR?s help in directing the effort toward seeking local, national and international data that can be more effectively analyzed to produce results needed by FDA and others, e.g., reviewing decades of genomic/treatment data on myeloma patients at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. ? Develop ways in which the Arkansas capabilities can be combined into a coordinated, synergistic force larger than the sum of its parts. ? Encourage students and faculty in the development of new models and techniques to be used in bioinformatics and related fields. ? Improve inter-institutional communication, including developing standardized bioinformatics curricula and more universal course acceptance.
