Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that combines biology, computer science, information engineering, mathematics, and statistics to analyze and interpret biological data. It involves the use of computational tools to store, analyze, and visualize biological data, such as DNA/RNA sequences, protein structures, gene expression datasets, and more. Key activities in bioinformatics include sequence alignment, gene finding, genome assembly, protein structure modeling, and comparative genomics.
Bioinformatics plays a crucial role in modern biology and medicine, particularly in areas like genomics, proteomics, and personalized medicine. It helps scientists understand biological processes and diseases at a molecular level, contributing to the development of new therapies and drugs. The field also enables the management and analysis of large datasets generated by high-throughput technologies like next-generation sequencing.