Introduction to Bioinformatics

Course provider:
Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester

Course contact:
Azzam Maki (azzam.maki@manchester.ac.uk)

Summary:
The module is designed to develop the skills now needed by the biotechnology industries. The need for personnel with skills in mathematics and computing, as well as in the biological sciences, arises from the explosion in the amount of data generated by the genome sequencing projects. The data are in the form of DNA sequences, and the protein sequences derived from them. Bioinformatics is the use of computational models and databases to manage this data now used in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biomanufacturing industries. Further advances in these sectors will depend on the availability of personnel qualified in Bioinformatics: one of the key problems is that of recruitment of staff with the highly specialised skills required.

Syllabus:
The course is divided into six sections:

Introduction to Bioinformatics and the Internet

Sequence databases

Sequencing projects and contig analysis

Sequence alignment and database searches

Protein function prediction

Protein structure prediction

Assessment:
To qualify for a certificate of course completion, you should contribute to each of the tutorial exercises. To be awarded module credits you will also need to complete and pass each of the course assessments. Students successfully completing the course will be eligible for a waiver on the Introduction to Bioinformatics module should they later enrol for the full MSc programme. This waiver will apply for five years from the date of the formal start of the distance learning course.
The assessment methods:

There will be a tutorial exercise for each section of the course. These exercises will be brief: they are included as one means of maintaining a dialogue between all those participating in the course.

There will be two written assessments. At the discretion of the examiners, you may also be required to attend a viva voce examination.

Further details:
All the course materials are provided within a Virtual Learning Environment. The tools provided will allow you to navigate and search through course notes, protocols, practicals and references to useful texts and URLs. The course notes are provided as web pages. These will be used to provide the necessary background to the focus of the course, which is problem-based learning. You will interact with the members of the course team, and with other learners, through a course study rooms.

Technical requirements:
To take the course you will need access to a computer with a Java-enabled browser. We would also prefer that you return your work to us as documents in Microsoft Word.
Some sites restrict access to on-line chat facilities, such as our tutorial rooms. If you find that this is the case, you will still be able to take the course as the tutorial discussion will be continued using the study rooms.

References:
Title: Bioinformatics Instant Notes
Auther: David Westhead
Publisher: BIOS Scientific Publishers; ISBN:1859962726
Title: Introduction to Bioinformatics
Auther: Attwood et al
Publisher: Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0582327881
Title: Bioinformatics: Sequence, structure and databanks
Author: Edited by Des Higgins, Willie Taylor
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Course provider:	Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester
Course contact:	Azzam Maki (azzam.maki@manchester.ac.uk)
Summary:	The module is designed to develop the skills now needed by the biotechnology industries. The need for personnel with skills in mathematics and computing, as well as in the biological sciences, arises from the explosion in the amount of data generated by the genome sequencing projects. The data are in the form of DNA sequences, and the protein sequences derived from them. Bioinformatics is the use of computational models and databases to manage this data now used in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biomanufacturing industries. Further advances in these sectors will depend on the availability of personnel qualified in Bioinformatics: one of the key problems is that of recruitment of staff with the highly specialised skills required.
Syllabus:	The course is divided into six sections: Introduction to Bioinformatics and the Internet Sequence databases Sequencing projects and contig analysis Sequence alignment and database searches Protein function prediction Protein structure prediction
Assessment:	To qualify for a certificate of course completion, you should contribute to each of the tutorial exercises. To be awarded module credits you will also need to complete and pass each of the course assessments. Students successfully completing the course will be eligible for a waiver on the Introduction to Bioinformatics module should they later enrol for the full MSc programme. This waiver will apply for five years from the date of the formal start of the distance learning course. The assessment methods: There will be a tutorial exercise for each section of the course. These exercises will be brief: they are included as one means of maintaining a dialogue between all those participating in the course. There will be two written assessments. At the discretion of the examiners, you may also be required to attend a viva voce examination.
Further details:	All the course materials are provided within a Virtual Learning Environment. The tools provided will allow you to navigate and search through course notes, protocols, practicals and references to useful texts and URLs. The course notes are provided as web pages. These will be used to provide the necessary background to the focus of the course, which is problem-based learning. You will interact with the members of the course team, and with other learners, through a course study rooms.
Technical requirements:	To take the course you will need access to a computer with a Java-enabled browser. We would also prefer that you return your work to us as documents in Microsoft Word. Some sites restrict access to on-line chat facilities, such as our tutorial rooms. If you find that this is the case, you will still be able to take the course as the tutorial discussion will be continued using the study rooms.
References:	Title: Bioinformatics Instant Notes Auther: David Westhead Publisher: BIOS Scientific Publishers; ISBN:1859962726 Title: Introduction to Bioinformatics Auther: Attwood et al Publisher: Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0582327881 Title: Bioinformatics: Sequence, structure and databanks Author: Edited by Des Higgins, Willie Taylor Publisher: Oxford University Press

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Updated 16 December 2008 by Heather Vincent