adminSifelani Tsiko Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor
Zimbabwe hosted its second bioinformatics research symposium in the capital recently to promote the wider use of computers to speedily process vast amounts of scientific data critical in finding solutions to some of the country’s most pressing problems.
The National Biotechnology Authority (NBA) in partnership with Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), SANBio and H3ABioNet organised the bioinformatics research symposium to increase awareness on the applications across the country’s research institutions
Zimbabwe is among few African countries that have taken up bioinformatics as an area of study to help drive economic development as researchers utilise tools that can speed up the adoption of innovative techniques to improve the quality of life for people in the country.
It hosted the first symposium in 2016 after recognising that bioinformatics has a huge potential to improve crop and animal agriculture, environment, industry, trade and a number of sectors.
Ever since the first symposium there has been growing interest in bioinformatics and more and more academics are now appreciating its role in all applications for biological research.
Experts say bioinformatics is use of computers and IT software to store, retrieve, process, manage and study biological data.
It’s a field, which they say is inherently interdisciplinary and combines biology with different approaches from computer science, mathematics, biology and other aspects.
The world has benefited from improved products and services produced through use of bioinformatics.
Examples include new drugs, new crop and animal breeds, identification of crime suspects, developing of registers for animals and humans.
When simplified further, experts view bioinformatics as just the study of large amounts of biological information mainly focusing on molecules like DNA.
This is mostly done with the help of computers.
To ordinary people, it’s a complex subject but its one area of study that plays a very crucial in helping scientists to generate knowledge that helps us understand life.
It simple involves storage, retrieval, processing and archiving of data that would otherwise take many years to process manually using our human minds, one scientist remarked at the symposium.
They recognise that through the use of high performance computers, vast amounts of data can be processed quickly and efficiently paving way for innovations in health, agriculture and livestock husbandry to be made.
This area of study in bioinformatics and genome science is increasingly gaining roots in Zimbabwe and a few other African countries contributing to studies that are leading to improved understanding of health, disease, agriculture and food security.
It is worthwhile noting that bioinformatics is applicable in a number of areas that cover climate change studies, drug discovery and development, waste clean-up, bioenergy, crop improvement, veterinary sciences, forensic sciences and biodefence as well as a range of other specialised areas..
It is encouraging that the Second Bioinformatics Research Symposium is gaining ground and pressing ahead with capacity building in the areas of bioinformatics, improving bioinformatics research awareness and creation of networks among scientists, researchers and relevant stakeholders for advancing bioinformatics research and application.
“The main goal of this symposium, as you may know, is to explore recent advancements in bioinformatics applications as well as facilitate the dissemination of information on bioinformatics and its application,” said a senior official of Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development at the symposium.
“Following the establishment of the Bioinformatics Consortium of Zimbabwe (BCZ) during the last symposium, it is my hope that through this research symposium, collaborations between researchers will possibly lead to the translation of research results into commercial services.”
While the country has taken steps to establish the foundation for research and training in bioinformatics, it is important to widen participation by all universities and colleges through concerted efforts to expand training and research partnerships to scientists in yet-unreached institutions.
This is an emerging area of study and it needs to gain traction across the biomedical research, healthcare and agriculture sectors due to its importance in helping to improve the timeliness and accuracy of disease diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as enhancing crop yield.
While scientifically-advanced countries in North America and Europe have been major leaders in this field of study, Zimbabwe and other developing countries must take practical steps to promote bioinformatics to enhance biomedical research, healthcare and agriculture.
A number of papers were presented at the symposium that covered a number of topics related to bioinformatics.
The development of bioinformatics has been met with some challenges that include inadequate infrastructure, training opportunities, research funding, human resources, bio-repositories and databases.
This has contributed to the slow pace of development in this field in Zimbabwe and across the continent.
However, closer collaboration among scientists and research institutions is now paying dividends leading to enhanced opportunities for the development of bioinformatics.
It is an important vehicle that could help Zimbabwe attain its dream of becoming a middle income economy by 2030.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter