Scientists in the throes of research use an extensive data bank to access structural information on proteins and nucleic acids. Meanwhile, geneticists use a highly specialized form of software to analyze the hybridization pattern of DNA chips.

The past decade has been tremendously successful for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. This success has been a result of astounding technical advancements in genome sequencing (genomics), protein identification (proteomics), and data analysis-collectively called bioinformatics. The exponential increase in computer processing and disk storage has served as a catalyst and been instrumental in the development of bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine describes the origin of this field and the organization of public domain databases with an introductory tutorial for the services described. This book explains these services in a relatively simple fashion. Nevertheless, a biological background is necessary to understand and properly utilize the various software components and services described in this book. A basic biological background is also necessary for understanding the biological and medical significance of the collected data.

Bioinformatics Basics is a fast growing field, and it will take some years for a stabilization to occur. Until then, hundreds of Internet sites allow us to search, compare, and manipulate this data in its relatively raw format. Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine concentrates on three major database clusters and relevant software tools that are maintained in the United States, Europe, and Japan, offering free access and analysis through the Internet.