BIOINFORMATICS is a very exciting field because it has enabled scientist to see how a “polygamous” relationship among biology, informatics and computer science work, according to Joe Riggo Reyes, a researcher at the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB). In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Reyes said he enjoys his work at the NIMBB because it is helping the country by “translating things that are beneficial to Philippine society.”
“People who want to pursue a career in bioinformatics in the country will have a lot of opportunities because most Filipinos engaged in bioinformatics are working overseas. To be a capable and skilled bioinformatics researcher, Reyes said one must master biology, computer science and informatics.
“As a biologist, you must understand the programs of the research. You also have to learn computer engineering to understand the proper software and hardware components of the computer needed for a certain project. As far as informatics is concerned, you must determine the algorithms behind the software and which software is the most suitable for a project,” he pointed out.
Among the projects being conducted by the PGC are the “Sugarcane Genomics for Increased Productivity, Profitability and Global Competitiveness of the Philippine Sugar Industry,” “Y-chromosal DNA Variation of Filipinos Across Families using Rapidly Mutating Y-chromosomes Specific Short Tandem Repeat Markers” and “Cardiovascular Study Program.”
Reyes said the support given by the national government to the PGC is very vital to the development of the entire genomics community in the Philippines. With the resources provided by the government through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development-Department of Science and Technology), the BS Biology graduate of the Univeristy of the Philippines Diliman said he and his colleagues now have at their disposal computational resources and services.
These will enable them to perform more genomic data processing and analysis in a shorter span of time, including a supercomputer and high-performance computing systems, preinstalled high-performance computers-capable bioinformatics software and data storage systems.
Services offered by the Core Facility for Bioinformatics (CFB) are genomics workflows and custom bioinformatics-analysis.
The CFB has three large memory symmetric multiprocessing servers for bioinformatics tasks that require large memory, such as forming a genome. Further, the CFB also has two high-performance and high-capacity (HPC) storage servers for storage of huge amount of genomic data.
The CFB also offers advanced users, such as access to HPC, for the study and storage of datasets. The researchers have also the privilege of using preinstalled software, install new ones or develop their own.
Reyes said he and his colleagues are bullish working in the PGC because it enables them to use genomics as tool in studying the plants and animals to have better qualities and properties. “Our team is privileged to work here and determined to use biodiversity to create solutions to Philippine problems,” he said.
Image credits: Rizal Raoul Reyes