Not all laboratories have pipettes, centrifuges, or microscopes. Some work with supercomputers, such as those used in computational biology—a discipline that employs computer tools to understand the most complex biological mechanisms. Now, a CSIC platform brings together centers with these infrastructures and the personnel dedicated to this field.
Since their early days, computers have been used to answer biological questions. For example, Alan Turing, considered one of the fathers of computing, already used them to study morphogenesis (the process by which a living being develops a specific shape). However, it is now, with the spectacular advancement of computing, that computational biology is gaining great relevance, given its ability to unravel the major challenges humanity faces.
Key Concepts:
- Supercomputing
This refers to the use of high-performance computers, known as supercomputers, to perform extremely intensive calculations in a short time. These systems can process enormous volumes of data and execute complex simulations that would be unfeasible with conventional computers. Supercomputing is essential in fields such as astrophysics, biomedical research, and ecology, where large amounts of data must be analyzed or highly complex processes must be modeled.
- Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics focuses on developing and applying computational tools to manage and analyze biological data, especially those derived from genomic sequencing projects or gene expression studies. This discipline includes tasks such as genome characterization. Bioinformatics enables the transformation of raw data into meaningful information that helps in understanding biological functions and processes.
- Computational Biology
Computational biology is a discipline that uses computing to simulate and understand biological systems. It spans from studying individual molecules to entire ecosystems, applying techniques like modeling. One of its main objectives is to integrate data from various sources to build models that explain biological system behaviors and predict their responses to different conditions. Simply put, it is the study of biology using computational techniques. It is an interdisciplinary science that combines biology with computer science, supported by other fields like mathematics, statistics, and physics.
Computational biology and bioinformatics have subtle differences, often leading them to be considered the same. They share many techniques and objectives, but while bioinformatics focuses more on developing tools and methods for biological data processing, computational biology emphasizes using these tools to build theoretical models and run simulations to explain phenomena. Supercomputing, in turn, provides the computing power necessary for both disciplines to tackle large-scale and complex problems. Meanwhile, though often confused due to its name, biological computing is a branch of computer science that studies how to use living elements, such as proteins or DNA molecules, to process and store information.
A Platform to Unify Computational Biology Resources
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has created HubBCB within the “CSIC Connections” framework, bringing together all centers and professionals working in these fields.
The Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) is part of this initiative, as it has specific research infrastructures, such as CBLab, and experts in these disciplines.
The objectives of HubBCB are to foster collaboration between CSIC scientific and technical staff working in computational biology and bioinformatics and to generate a clear catalog of resources (including infrastructures, services, and expert personnel) for both internal and external use (by other research organizations, public institutions, etc.).
The network also aims to give visibility to CSIC’s work in this field and to promote excellence in computational biology and bioinformatics. To this end, HubBCB organizes continuous activities such as seminars to share the latest acquired knowledge.
Additional info:
https://delegacion.comunitatvalenciana.csic.es/el-csic-presenta-en-valencia-una-plataforma-para-ofrecer-sus-recursos-en-idi-en-biologia-computacional-y-bioinformatica/
https://conexion-bcb.csic.es/
L'entrada How supercomputing is transforming scientific research ha aparegut primer a CEAB.