Bioinformatics to take centre stage in CRC

MURDOCH’S capabilities in bioinformatics has recently been recognised by its inclusion as a core member into the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Molecular Plant Breeding.

“Bioinformatics is the computational approach to managing and analysing biological data, and the development of associated new software tools and integrated systems,” said Associate Professor Matthew Bellgard, Director of the Centre for Bioinformatics and Biological Computing (CBBC) at Murdoch University.

“Bioinformatics is seen as a supporting or enabling science, but at the CBBC we take a big picture approach, looking at the underlying issues of specific biological problems through our broad understanding of information technology.

“Over the last few years we have managed to establish a track record in the field and the CRC will be capitalising on our expertise and our growing ability to engineer robust and sustainable bioinformatics solutions through providing us with essential resources.“

The CRC is a coordinated group of scientific excellence in molecular plant breeding, and our inclusion gives the CBBC the opportunity to operate at a national level.

Professor Bellgard said bioinformatics was a field that is advancing at such a rate that it was important to try to keep abreast of rapidly changing biotechnologies, information technologies and their implications in understanding underlying biological processes.

As an example, this breadth of knowledge about the field recently inspired Professor Bellgard to revive the Sankoff algorithm, a promising concept for aligning molecular sequences first developed nearly 30 years ago.

“This data interpretation tool was abandoned in the 1970s for a number of reasons such as a lack of computing power and the popularity of other approaches. However the concept is sound and with our technology today, we may be able to make a paradigm shift in the approach to analysing genetic data,” said Professor Bellgard.

Professor Bellgard is part of a team of Murdoch researchers that have been incorporated into the CRC for Molecular Plant Breeding, including Professors Rudi Appels, Mike Jones and Keith Gregg.

One of the first tasks for Professors Bellgard and Appels is to use the sequenced rice genome to compare and identify similar sections of the wheat and barley genomes.

Professor Appels will also be working to analyse breeding lines with respect to disease resistance and will provide leadership for the Murdoch team.

Professors Jones and Gregg from the newly established Centre for Highthroughput Agricultural Genetic Analysis (CHAGA) at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre will contribute through providing support in high throughput diagnostics.