Biocomputing

Since the mid-1990s advances in DNA sequencing have enhanced our understanding of humanity and all living things. Driven by these advances, the closely related sciences of Bioinformatics and Biocomputing have become the ultimate interdisciplinary study areas, forever blurring the lines between engineering, biology and computer science and bringing together researchers who ordinarily wouldn't interact. While Bioinformatics largely focuses on the analysis, prediction, imaging and sequencing of genes, the broader, interdisciplinary field of Biocomputing includes the study of biological models of computing using traditional materials, genomic modelling and visualisation, biomaterials for non-traditional computer designs and computer architectures for those materials. In addition, Biocomputing uses the principles and tools of computer science to model or algorithmically specify complex biological information systems and computational systems with life-like capabilities. Biocomputing has manifested numerous government multi-agency programs, including the Human Genome Project, the High Performance Computing & Communications (HPCC) initiative, the Human Brain Project, and other related programs such as the National Information Infrastructure and Digital Libraries initiatives, which have strong bio-related components. This book brings together the latest research in this fast-growing field.