Introduction Biological sequence analysis (bioinformatics) is the study of the relationships between biological sequences and the implication of these relationships for macromolecular structure, function, and evolution. Bioinformatics is now a necessary part of the tools and training of all scientists who use molecular biological methods because they must process raw DNA sequences and assign structure and function to gene products. Bioinformatical methods are based on aspects of a variety of disciplines including computer science, probability, and molecular, structural, and evolutionary biology. The biomedical researcher must understand the computational and scientific basis of the programs he uses in order to use the programs correctly. The purpose of this course is to train biomedical researchers, including those who may not yet be comfortable with computers, in bioinformatical methods. All of these methods center around the identification and classification of gene products and the elucidation of genome structure. The biological and computational basis of all methods studied are covered, the methods are illustrated in class, and the students run the programs themselves. The course covers both Unix-based, and web-based programs. The first three weeks of the course are an introduction to the Unix operating system and related computer skills. GCG and other Unix-based programs will run on the Cancer Center DEC-ALPHA (cuccfa). Cuccfa and websites will be accessed using Windows software, but almost all of what is learned is applicable to Macintosh machines as well. | Lecture Instructor: Richard Friedman Lab instructor: Richard Friedman , Farul Ghazali Section 1: W 9-12 Health Science Library (1 hour lecture/ 2hours lab) Section 2: F 9-12 Health Science Library (1 hour lecture/ 2hours lab) Microcomputer lab, 2nd floor, Hammer Health Sciences Library, Health Sciences Campus