Achievements and challenges in structural bioinformatics and computational biophysics

Ilan Samish; Philip E Bourne; Rafael J Najmanovich

doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btu769

Achievements and challenges in structural bioinformatics and computational biophysics

Bioinformatics. 2015 Jan 1;31(1):146-50. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btu769. Epub 2014 Dec 8.

Authors

Ilan Samish¹, Philip E Bourne², Rafael J Najmanovich²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, 2161002, Israel, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA and Department of Biochemistry, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, J1H 5N4, Canada Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, 2161002, Israel, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA and Department of Biochemistry, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, J1H 5N4, Canada.
² Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, 2161002, Israel, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA and Department of Biochemistry, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, J1H 5N4, Canada.

Abstract

Motivation: The field of structural bioinformatics and computational biophysics has undergone a revolution in the last 10 years. Developments that are captured annually through the 3DSIG meeting, upon which this article reflects.

Results: An increase in the accessible data, computational resources and methodology has resulted in an increase in the size and resolution of studied systems and the complexity of the questions amenable to research. Concomitantly, the parameterization and efficiency of the methods have markedly improved along with their cross-validation with other computational and experimental results.

Conclusion: The field exhibits an ever-increasing integration with biochemistry, biophysics and other disciplines. In this article, we discuss recent achievements along with current challenges within the field.

MeSH terms

Achievement
Biomedical Research / trends*
Biophysics / trends*
Computational Biology / trends*
Humans