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Computational biology

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Computational biology

Computational biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies the techniques of computer science

Computer science

Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems....
, applied mathematics

Applied mathematics

Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the mathematical techniques typically used in the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains....
and statistics

Statistics

Statistics is a Mathematics pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. It also provides tools for prediction and forecasting based on data....
to address biological

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
problems. It encompasses the fields of:

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Encyclopedia

Computational biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies the techniques of computer science

Computer science

Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems....
, applied mathematics

Applied mathematics

Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the mathematical techniques typically used in the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains....
and statistics

Statistics

Statistics is a Mathematics pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. It also provides tools for prediction and forecasting based on data....
to address biological

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
problems. It encompasses the fields of:

Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is the application of information technology to the field of molecular biology. The term bioinformatics was coined by Paulien Hogeweg in 1978 for the study of informatic processes in biotic systems....
, which applies algorithm
Algorithm

In mathematics, computing, linguistics and related subjects, an algorithm is a sequence of finite instructions, often used for calculation and data processing....
s and statistical techniques
Statistics

Statistics is a Mathematics pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. It also provides tools for prediction and forecasting based on data....
to the interpretation, classification and understanding of biological datasets. These typically consist of large numbers of DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
, RNA
RNA

Ribonucleic acid is a type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nucleobase, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate....
, or protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
sequences. Sequence alignment
Sequence alignment

In bioinformatics, a sequence alignment is a way of arranging the sequences of DNA, RNA, or protein to identify regions of similarity that may be a consequence of functional, structural biology, or evolutionary relationships between the sequences....
is used to assemble the datasets for analysis. Comparisons of homologous
Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
sequences, gene finding, and prediction of gene expression
Gene expression

Gene expression is the process by which inheritable information from a gene, such as the DNA sequence, is made into a functional gene product, such as protein or RNA....
are the most common techniques used on assembled datasets; however, analysis of such datasets have many applications throughout all fields of biology.

Computational biomodeling, a field within biocybernetics
Biocybernetics

Biocybernetics is the application of cybernetics to the biological science, comprised of biological disciplines that benefit from the application of cybernetics: neurology, multicellular systems and others....
concerned with building computational models of biological systems.

Computational genomics
Computational genomics

Computational genomics is the study of deciphering biology from genome sequences using computational analysis., including both DNA and RNA. Computational genomics focuses on understanding the human genome, and more generally the principles of how DNA controls the biology of any species at the molecular level....
, a field within genomics
Genomics

Genomics is the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts....
which studies the genome
Genome

In classical genetics, the genome of a diploid organism including eukarya refers to a full set of chromosomes or genes in a gamete; thereby, a regular somatic cell contains two full sets of genomes....
s of cells and organisms. High-throughput genome sequencing
Genome sequencing

Genome Sequencing may refer to:* DNA sequencing* Full genome sequencing...
produces lots of data, which requires extensive post-processing (genome assembly) and uses DNA microarray
DNA microarray

A DNA microarray is a multiplex technology used in molecular biology and in medicine. It consists of an arrayed series of thousands of microscopic spots of DNA oligonucleotides, called features, each containing picoMole s of a specific DNA sequence....
technologies to perform statistical analyses on the genes expressed in individual cell types. This can help find genes of interests for certain diseases or conditions. This field also studies the mathematical foundations
DNA sequencing theory

DNA sequencing theory is the broad body of work that attempts to lay analytical foundations for DNA sequencing. The practical aspects revolve around designing and optimizing sequencing projects, predicting project performance, troubleshooting experimental results, characterizing factors such as sequence bias and the effects of software proces...
of sequencing.

Molecular modeling, which consists of modelling
Scientific modelling

Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual model, graphical and or Mathematical model models. Science offers a growing collection of Scientific method, techniques and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modelling....
the behaviour of molecule
Molecule

In chemistry, a molecule is defined as a sufficiently stable, electric charge neutral group of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by very strong chemical bonds....
s of biological importance.

Protein structure prediction
Protein structure prediction

Protein structure prediction is one of the most important goals pursued by bioinformatics and theoretical chemistry. Its aim is the prediction of the three-dimensional structure of proteins from their amino acid sequences, sometimes including additional relevant information such as the structures of related proteins....
and structural genomics
Structural genomics

Structural genomics consists of the determination of the one, two and three dimensional structure of all proteins of a given organism, by experimental methods such as X-ray crystallography, protein NMR or computational approaches such as homology modelling....
, which attempt to systematically produce accurate structural models for three-dimensional protein structure
Protein structure

Proteins are an important class of biological macromolecules present in all biological organisms, made up of such chemical element as carbon,hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulphur....
s that have not been determined experimentally.

Computational biochemistry
Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules....
and biophysics
Biophysics

Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that employs and develops theories and methods of the physical sciences for the investigation of biology systems....
, which make extensive use of structural modeling and simulation methods such as molecular dynamics
Molecular dynamics

Molecular dynamics is a form of computer simulation in which atoms and molecules are allowed to interact for a period of time by approximations of known physics,...
and Monte Carlo method
Monte Carlo method

Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to compute their results. Monte Carlo methods are often used when computer simulation physics and mathematics systems....
-inspired Boltzmann sampling
Boltzmann distribution

In physics and mathematics, the Boltzmann distribution is a certain distribution function or probability measure for the distribution of the states of a system....
methods in an attempt to elucidate the kinetics
Kinetics

Kinetics, derived from the Greek language word ????s?? meaning movement or the act of moving, may refer to:...
and thermodynamics
Thermodynamics

In physics, thermodynamics is the study of the conversion of heat energy into different forms of energy ; different energy conversions into heat energy; and its relation to macroscopic variables such as temperature, pressure, and volume....
of protein functions.