BIOINFORMATICS

High-throughput genomic and proteomic technologies generate a tremendous amount of data, which must be stored, analyzed, and disseminated to the public. To address these needs, the bioinformatics component of this Core provides the tools and systems needed for data management and analysis, including clinical, gene expression, and protein abundance databases, higher-order analysis systems such as Resolver and Elucidator (developed by Rosetta Biosoftware), and a variety of publicly available tools. Additional efforts are focused on developing improved methodologies for data analysis, including the development of software tools focused on the integration of gene expression and proteomics data, which will allow a broader and more comprehensive perspective of the cellular events that occur during virus infection and disease progression. The Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core works directly with researchers during all phases of experimental design and data analysis.

Biostatistics

The biostatistics component of the Core ensures that principles of experimental design are followed and that appropriate statistical techniques are applied to data analysis. In addition, statistical techniques play a vital role in judging data reliability, the precision and accuracy of measurements, data normalization, quality control, and error modeling.