Consider this situation. After a daylong seminar, three people who attended it complain of headache and they all attribute it to stress. All three promptly walk into the neighbourhood pharmacist who gives them a common analgesic. The pain is relieved. And the matter is forgotten.

Now, consider this futuristic picture. Because of heightened awareness they go to a doctor first and not a pharmacist. The reason is simple. Though the symptoms are the same, the disease may be vastly different. A quick sequence of tests is able to determine how each one's headache is different from the others'. And the three are given different drugs.

The above scenario will soon be the norm rather than just an illusionary prospect, thanks to the latest scientific boom: bioinformatics.

WHAT IS BIOINFORMATICS
Bioinformatics combines biology, mathematics and computer software. It involves the use of information technology in studying the life sciences: a combination of IT and biotechnology.

As B. Chandrasekhar, Managing Director, Bigtec, puts it, "This is a truly inter-disciplinary subject. We have infotech and biotech. Now we are standing on their shoulders and looking ahead into a new territory."

Explains B.R. Muralidhar of Manvish Infotec, "Biotechnology has been with us for ages. An everyday example of this is fermentation where sugars are broken down by living organisms like bacteria and yeasts. In the baking and brewing industries fermentation plays a major role in the manufacture cheese, yoghurt, bread, beer, antibiotics etc."

Says Vanishree K.V., who heads the bioinformatics section at Veetech Infoline, "Molecular biology is the basis of bioinformatics. To pursue this field one needs to have sound domain knowledge. The knowledge of mathematics and computers is integrated into this."

All the bioinformatics institutes provide the students with basic knowledge of biology, mathematics and computers. Subjects include: in life sciences, Basics of Molecular Biology, Protein Synthesis, DNA Fingerprinting etc; and in computer science, MS Office, Linux, HTML, Perl, etc.

Thus, a student who is strong in biology but doesn't have a good idea of computer software will be able to pick up what he lacks. Similarly, for a student who is good in Java but has only an interest in life sciences, these courses are designed to help him learn in detail the biological functions.

BASIS OF BIOINFORMATICS
To understand why bioinformatics can lead to a remarkable change in the way we live, we need to take a peek into what determines the way we are. To begin with, basically we are all made up of proteins.

For example, as enzymes, they help in metabolism, as keratin it is there in the skin, in muscles it helps movement, as haemoglobin it carries oxygen etc. Proteins determine how the organism looks like, how it grows, fights infections and even how it behaves.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. The type of protein produced is determined by the way these amino acids are linked, which depends on the genetic code or DNA.

DNA is a double-stranded molecule that contains all the information required to build, control and maintain a living being. It is made up of four chemicals called bases abbreviated as A, T, C and G. A human genome contains nearly three billion pairs of these bases arranged in different patterns.

The diversity of a living organism __ like, whether it is human being or some other species __ is determined by the particular order in which these four chemical bases are arranged.

GROWTH OF BIOINFORMATICS
Bioinformatics got a big boost with the Human Genome Project. It was begun in 1990 as a 15-year effort. Because of advances in science, the deadline was revised to 2003; and it is now virtually completed two years ahead of schedule.

The biggest challenge the project took up was to find out the exact order in which the nearly three billion chemical bases are arranged to form the DNA. An understanding of this will help scientists diagnose diseases better and formulate more accurate drugs.

Says Murlidhar, "The Human Genome Project has given us a veritable storehouse of information. The growth in computer software has provided us a tool to retrieve this information, analyse it, use it to predict various protein sequences by simulating them, and analyse an unimaginably huge amount of information. Thus we are able to explore newer areas of biological functions."

THE GREAT POTENTIAL
"Once the research in this field begins yielding fruits," says Chandrasekhar, "we will be able to make a better correlation between a disease and the person. For example, many diseases have their roots in genes. When we are able to understand the genetic makeup of a persons, we will also be able to understand the disease and find accurate remedy for it."

Says Dr Muralidhar, "Bioinformatics has a lot of potential in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, pharmacy, health and nutrition etc. We will be able to produce high-yielding crops at faster rate, which can in turn boost our economy. We will be able to gain more knowledge of medicinal plants and put them to better use. We will be able to produce better drugs, tailor-made to an individual's illness."

The United States government's decision to award licences to private companies and award grants to them for innovative research, has also fuelled the multimillion-dollar American biotechnology industry.

According to Vanishree, Bangalore has caught up with bioinformatics mainly because "here we have a group of people who are willing to imbibe new knowledge and put it to good use. The majority of bioinformaticians are based in the US and Europe. To hire them for our needs will mean huge expenses. So let us have our own."

"Bioinformatics has helped researchers in experiments," says Vanishree. "Lab experiments are based on the theory of trial and error. When an experiment does not yield the desired result, we go back and start all over again making course corrections. A lot of costly chemicals are spent in the process. This wastage can be avoided with bioinformatics."

Chandrasekhar says that simulation of protein sequences using mathematical models in computers and studying them helps us save a lot of time as well. "Quicker and more accurate results are obtained. It is not that computers will totally replace laboratories. Never. What is gained through bioinformatics will help us put laboratories to better research work."

WHO IS A BIOINFORMATICIAN
This is a combination of two fields as diverse as biology and mathematics. Lincoln Stein is a researcher at the Cold Spring Harbor Lab in New York, who writes software for biological databases. He was once asked, "Who do you think has a tougher time learning the other's discipline, computer scientists or biologists, and why?"

He said, "Computer scientists have a much harder time learning biology than vice versa. This is because biology is an experimental science, and computer scientists have to undergo a full paradigm shift in order to understand it. In contrast, physicists have no problem learning biology. To the biologist, software development is just another skill to pick up."

But as Chandrasekhar puts it, "Anyone who likes to dabble in bioinformatics must have had a formal training in science or computers. It is difficult to be an expert in both. So, be good at one at the same time have the ability to understand fully the other. He should be able to take the other's idea and run with it. This is precisely the reason why bioinformatics is called a highly cross-disciplinary subject."

According to Vanishree anyone who completes a course or gets a degree in bioinformatics is not a bioinformatician just as a post-graduate degree in a language does not make one a litterateur. "Courses only make a student aware about the various facets of the field. He has to put to productive use what he has learnt. He must have a thirst for knowledge. And constantly update information."

Like any growing field, bioinformatics is also up against many challenges. According to Vanishree, a proper market survey is extremely important. "This is a knowledge-based field, which is rapidly evolving. We should know what is the requirement in our country and also abroad. Only then we will be able to adapt the technology to the requirement."

Chandrasekhar feels there is a need to integrate technologies. "We have different systems doing different functions. We need to integrate them for better efficiency."

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
The complexity of bioinformatics puts that much more of demands on a person wanting to pursue the field. Which means a prospective candidate should ask himself a number of questions before he takes the plunge. See if you can say yes to these questions:

* Do you have a sound background in life science subjects?
* Are you familiar with computer programmes?
* You may be good in biology, maths or computers; but are you ready to learn the others too?
* Since this is an interdisciplinary subject, are you a good team man?
* Are you willing to be corrected, accept mistakes and go ahead?
* Are you willing to accept another person's idea without any problems?
* Do you have the patience to be in a research lab for long periods?
* Are you good at extracting information?
* Are you able to keep pace with changing times?
* Are you good at putting to good use what has been learnt?
* Can you draw logical conclusions

If you said no to any of these, then pause. There is a serious need for introspection. If you have said yes to all of them, it is time for you to go ahead and know more about bioinformatics.

Check out websites on bioinformatics, there are plenty of them.

* Talk to academicians and professionals in the pharmaceutical, health and nutrition industry.
* Check out institutes that run courses in bioinformatics.
* Talk to people who have already done a course in bioinformatics course.

WHERE ARE THE JOBS
Since there is a dearth of good trainers, candidates can find job opportunities in training institutes themselves. Other areas are: industries related to pharmaceutical drugs, health, nutrition, agriculture, horticulture etc. Research and development institutes associated with the above areas.

INSTITUTES
There are a number of institutes that offer courses in bioinformatics. Some of them are:

* Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology,
G-05, Tech Park Mall,
ITPL, Whitefield, Bangalore 560066.
Phone: 28410029, 28412769.
Email: ibab@ibab.ac.in
Website: www.ibab.ac.in

* Veetech Infoline,
Prestige Hosto Chambers,
52, 1st Main Road,
Seshadripuram,
Bangalore 560020.
Phone: 23464630, 23096034.
Email: bio@veetechinfoline.com
Website: www.veetechinfoline.com

* Manvish Infotech,
No 51, Ambica Towers,
K.H. Road, Bangalore 560027.
Phone: 22993795, 22993796, 22296303, 22296304.
Email: manvish@manvish.com
Website: www.manvish.com

* Bigtec,
250, 24th Main,
J.P. Nagar, 5th Phase,
Bangalore 560078.
Phone: 26596017, 26596953.
Email: bc@bigtec.org
Website: www.bigtec.org