Close to home

You can learn a lot about bioinformatics by doing the practical and theoretical modules on this website. However, you may still think that bioinformatics is something that has no profound influence on you and your daily life. But if you look a bit closer, you may see that bioinformatics can be found very close to home. Bioinformatics is used in many, many research areas, and you encounter the products of this research all around you. Think for example about:

• Diseases - Bioinformatics is used in the design of drugs (to fight disease), diagnostic tests (to find out whether you have a disease), and genetic tests (to find out whether you may get the disease).
• Food – Bioinformatics is used in optimising all kinds of food products. A dairy product with (supposedly) beneficial bacteria is just one example.
• Detergents - Enzymes are used widely in washing powders. Studying and optimising their properties enhances their cleaning power.

Bioinformatics@school has two sections about the role of bioinformatics in your daily life:

• Bioinformatics shop (under construction)
  Visit the supermarket and pharmacy to learn more about products made possible through bioinformatics.
• Essays
  Want to write an essay or report about one of the many aspects of bioinformatics? Perhaps do a science project? Bioinformatics@school helps you on your way.