Career Opportunities in Bioinformatics

Introduction: Bioinformatics is an emerging discipline. Bioinformatics is an applied science, which refers to use of information technology in the field of molecular Biology. Bioinformatics as a discipline aims at collection, storage, analysis and merge of biological data using computer technology to improve the quality of life of individuals. In other words the objective of Bioinformatics is collection and management of biological information and uses it for improvement of quality of life. Bioinformatics has several applications in the fields of agriculture, health, environment, energy and biotechnology. Here it can promote biomedical research and development. Bioinformatics helps to produce better curative and preventive medicines, identify waste cleaning bacteria, and produce high yield low maintenance varieties of seeds.

It is an emerging interdisciplinary research area and is increasingly being used to improve the quality of life. Today, pharmaceutical and life sciences firms are increasingly placing emphasis on IT investments related to research, to gain competitive advantage by reducing time for drug discovery. Starting off with analysis of macromolecules, bioinformatics has advanced to a stage where it is playing an increasingly important role in the human genome project, drug discovery and prediction of protein structure and function. Computational analysis for interpretation of functions of genes and DNA sequences involves processing huge amounts of data that need to be analyzed and interpreted for drug discovery.

The hereditary information of an organism is encoded in the DNA. Genomics, the study of an organism entire genome is developed to understand the basic molecule of life, which is known as the code of life. DNA directly controls the biological makeup of humans or any living organism. Studying the structure of DNA has made amazing success over many genetically transferring diseases. By the study of genes, pharmaceutical firms can determine the cause of various deformities, diseases and their remedies. Bioinformatics through the use of computer databases and algorithms speeds up and enhances biological research projects. A case in point is the human genome project, which is an effort to identify a mammoth 80,000 genes in Human DNA through the use of bioinformatics. Just imagine a group of scientists doing it manually!

Skills Required: Bioinformatics is a highly specialized, technical field. You need a background in both biology and in information management, as well as specialized skills specific to the field of bioinformatics.

• You need to know basic programming languages like JAVA and HTML, SQL and PERL. Most bioinformatics programming utilizes PERL.
• Experience with bioinformatics tools, such as Blast, BLAT, sequence analysis algorithms and clustering tools.
• Good communications skills. As a bioinformatics specialist, you will be communicating complex data to people with a variety of backgrounds. It’s very much like being a translator. You have to know the languages involved, and you have to be an expert communicator in order to help people understand each other.
• Good teamwork skills. Bioinformatics is not for lone rangers. Researchers can sometimes work independently, but bioinformatics is about information and communication. You will be working on a team with people who have diverse backgrounds and differing areas of expertise. Good teamwork skills are essential.

Eligibility: A course in bioinformatics is suitable for those with a graduation or post-graduation in molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, chemistry, pharmacy, veterinary sciences, physics, mathematics, and also engineers, IT professionals, PhDs and medicos.

Job Prospects: The career prospects in the field have been steadily increasing with more and more use of information technology in the field of molecular biology. Bioinformatics professionals have multiple career options in all sectors of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, in research institutions, hospital and industry. Most of these professionals are absorbed in pharmaceutical and Biotech companies. They can also work with premier scientific research institutes of public and private sector. They can also work with government and private hospitals. These professional also can find employment in industries manufacturing various biomedical products.

Some of the specific career areas that fall within the scope of bioinformatics include Sequence assembly, Database design and maintenance, Sequence analysis, Proteomics (the study of protein, particularly their structures and functions), Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacology, Clinical pharmacologist, Informatics developer, Computational chemist, Bio-analytics and Analytics etc.  One can also take up teaching jobs in public and private collages offering bioinformatics as a subject. Indian companies like Wipro, Reliance, Satyam, TCS and companies like Accelrys and IBM Life Sciences Pubgene, Silicon Genetics and Tessella offer good employments to the bioinformatics candidates.

Remuneration: A postgraduate joining a private sector pharmaceutical company can expect to get good salary. Bioinformatics is a highly remunerative career options. Those employed in government research institutes and hospital get salary as fixed by government. It can be Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 depending upon work profile and experience. Professors in government collages get basic pay of Rs 20,000 to Rs 45,000 per month. Those working in private sector pharmaceutical companies or multination companies get a pay scale of Rs 4, 50,000 – Rs 9, 00,000 per annum.

The most popular Bioinformatics Institutes in India include the following:

• Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) in Bangalore offers many courses in bioinformatics and biotechnology. Web: www.ibab.ac.in.
• Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi provide course in biotechnology and biochemical engineering.
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur also provides various courses in bioinformatics.
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur provides very good courses at M.Tech level, admission is through GATE exam.
• Madurai Kamraj University also provides courses in bioinformatics at Msc, PhD level.
• The University of Pune, offers Advance Diploma in Bioinformatics.
• DOEACC Society offers DOEACC Bioinformatics ‘o’ & ‘A’ level courses (1 year duration).
• DOEACC Society, Kolkata offers DOEACC Bioinformatics ‘C’ level courses, which are equivalent to M.Tech.
• Advance Course in Bioinformatics is jointly organized by IICT, CDAC, JNTU, Hyderabad (6 months duration).
• Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad offers M.Tech in bioinformatics.
• Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad also offers M.Tech in bioinformatics.
• Some National Institute of Technology like Maulana Azad NIT Bhopal, NIT Rourkela, also offers M.Tech in bioinformatics.
• JNU, New Delhi and West Bengal University of Technology both offer M.Tech in bioinformatics.
• University of Hyderabad offers 2 year M.Tech in bioinformatics. Web: www.unohyd.ernet.in.
• Calcutta university, senate house,87/1, Kolkata -700073, www.caluniv.ac.in.
• Bharathiar university, school of biotechnology,coimbatore-641046, tamilnadu, web: www.bharathiaruniv.ac.in.
• Pondicherry University, bioinformatics centre, school of life sciences, pondicherry-605014, web: www.bicpu.edu.in.
• Jamia Milia Islamia University, department of computer science, jamia nagar, new delhi-110025 offers Msc in bioinformatics as evening course. Web: www.jmi.nic.in.

Conclusion: Bioinformatics is the fastest-expanding field in India’s biotechnology sector today. There are over 200 companies in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Delhi that are in some way involved in bioinformatics. Large IT organizations such as Intel, IBM, and Wipro are also getting into this sector in India. Just as important, over 300 college-level institutes across India now offer degrees in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and biological sciences. These facilities are educating millions of students annually. This educational base is creating a bright future for India’s bioinformatics industry.

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