Course Information   Summary   Intended Audience   Format   Schedule   Objectives   Venue   Application Form Resources Used in the Course   Entrez Gene   Map Viewer   BLAST   COG   OMIM   RefSeq   dbSNP   LocusLink   Spidey   CDD   GenScan   ScanProsite   MultAlin   GeneMark   PROSCAN   Model Maker Local Information   NLM   NIH   Bethesda   Montgomery County About the instructor Questions or Comments

Course Summary The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) presents NCBI 4-Pack: Practical Web-based Analysis, a 2-day course including both lectures/demonstrations and computer hands-on sessions on practical applications of bioinformatics resources. Location: Lister Hill Center (Bldg 38A), NLM, NIH, Bethesda, MD    Intended Audience The course is intended for both researchers and educators. Researchers will learn how to apply NCBI resources to their research. The course will also provide four online bioinformatics modules for educational use.    Course Format The NCBI 4-Pack consists of four problem or resource based bioinformatics modules. The course will demonstrate the practical applications of NCBI resources such as BLAST and Map Viewer. In addition, it will demonstrate the integration of bioinformatics resources such as BLAST, Conserved Domain Database, dbSNP, and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man to help solve a particular research problem. Each module consists of a live demonstration followed by a hands-on session to practice a similar problem. The course includes ample time for individual consultations on the third day and also includes a tour of NCBI computer facilities. NCBI will provide Windows 2000 laptops for the hands-on sessions.    Course Objectives During the course, participants will learn how to Visualize and annotate 3D protein structures using NCBI's Cn3D. Identify conserved domain(s) present in a protein. Seach for other proteins containing similar domain(s). Explore a 3D modeling template for the query protein. Find distant sequence homologs that may not be identified by BLAST. Use different BLAST programs such as blastn, blastp, tblastn effectively. Limit your BLAST searches to make them more specific and understand the output. Identify a disease gene using NCBI's human genome assembly. Obtain information about a disease gene such as its sequence, exon-intron structure, and known single nucleotide polymorphisms. Elucidate the biochemical and structural basis for the function of the mutant protein leading to a disease phenotype.    Venue   The course will be held at the NCBI Training Center in the Lister Hill Center (Building 38A) of the National Library of Medicine on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. Directions to the National Library of Medicine Participants will be responsible for their own transportation, lodging and meals, and there are numerous hotels in Bethesda, as well as in Rockville and surrounding areas of Montgomery County. Bethesda also contains a renowned variety of restaurants that are only a few minutes walk from campus. Public transportation to the Medical Center Metro stop (Red Line) provides the most convenient access to NIH. See the Local Information links on the left bar of this page for more information.    About the Instructor Medha Bhagwat is a biologist on the User Services staff of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Revised March 12, 2008 Questions or Comments? Write to Medha Bhagwat