BIOINFORMATICS

Bioinformatics is the application of Information Technology to the Biosciences with the object of collation of knowledge. It is a bright new area, which refers to data management, algorithm development and data mining. Bioinformatics stands for the development and use of computational and mathematical methods for acquiring, storing, analyzing, retrieving and interpreting biological data to solve biological problems. The bioinformatics boom has created an urgent demand of multi-skilled researchers to work at the interface between Information Technology and Biosciences. The application plays pivotal roles in agriculture, medicine, environment which are the most desirable options for 21st century.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Considering the importance of Bioinformatics for the growth of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India has provided Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility to Assam University, Silchar. The Centre was established in the year 2008, and since its birth it is actively associated with the popularizing Bioinformatics applications in Biological researches in Southern Assam and North East India as a whole. The centre provides teaching and research facilities to the students and researchers of the region.

A QUICK GLANCE

Computer Aided Drug Designing is the main thrust area of the centre. The centre is actively engaged in research on Ligand Based Drug Designing from natural products.

We build a model of the biological target based on the knowledge of what binds to it and this model in turn may be used to design new molecular entities that interact with the target.

ESTABLISHMENT

At present, the Bioinformatics Centre of Assam University is housed in the Department of Life Science building. The centre organizes workshops, seminars, training programmes etc. from time to time for the popularization of Biology Teaching through Bioinformatics and also to generate awareness on Bioinformatics.

COLLABORATION

The center has collaboration with nereby BIF centers, Tezpur University (Tezpur), Assam Agricultural University (Jorhat), IASST (Guwahati), NIELIT (Guwahati).