Bioinformatics is a blend of biology, computer science and information technology that can be used to glean biological insights from the gene-sequence data that is so readily available nowadays from routine and rapid sequencing technologies. Since the advent of FASTA and FASTP for similarity searching of gene and protein sequences in 1985 the number of bioinformatics tools has rapidly increased. Of course, microbiologists are exploiting the tools that bioinformatics provides to the full but even veteran BLASTers may be surprised at the sophistication and applications of some of the newly-improved programs.
This month we feature two articles that showcase very different aspects of the use of bioinformatics in microbiology. In the Innovation Perspective by Thomas Lengauer and Tobias Sing on page 970, the authors outline how new programs, including geno2pheno, VirtualPhenotype and PIRSpred can be used to inform physicians on the drug-resistance phenotype of sequenced resistant HIV viral isolates. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has revolutionized the treatment of HIV infection, the emergence of drug-resistant HIV eventually occurs in most patients. So, predictive tools for the design of new drug regimes for patients when HAART fails are required. Exciting times are ahead for those interested in computer-assisted antiviral therapy, with the eventual goal of personalized medicine.
