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Question: Question: Apps for Bioinformatics

RaghavaGPS
3578 days ago

Question: Apps for Bioinformatics

We are traditional web developer for bioinformatics related problem. Nowadays mobile apps are becoming very popular. My question is should we also develop Apps in addition to web services for biology related problem. According to you what is scope of "Apps based Bioinformatics". We need your frank opinion from user as well as developers point of view.

 

 

Answers
0

Hi RaghavaGPS,

Whenever we think about any apps, the first thing come in our mind is touch screen and easy exploration.  It will be great to make use of the touch screen to explore biological datasets with an ease. As a genome biologist, I always dream to explore and navigate the genomes and their features with an apps and touchscreen.

My suggestions for an apps:

1. A simple and easy interface like GBrowse to navigate any genomic regions. 

I am currently using this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.japanbioinformatics.simgene

2. Phylogenetic analysis apps to explore the relationships.

3. Pubmed interface for quick and easy accesibility of research papers. 

4. A quicky BLAST or BLAT.

Please have a look at https://cs.wmich.edu/elise/courses/cs603-bio/SII-12/Presentation1-Jason.pdf

Thanks

0

Hi RaghavaGPS,

An apps for bioinformatics will be bit ambitious project. The touch interface might be a point to attract new bioinformatician.

Your multiple idea by Jit sounds good. Here are a few other ideas I've had:

1. An apps for protein visialization and realtime editing.

2. Multiple sequence alignments apps.

Thanks

0

Dear RaghavaGPS,

It looks very fascinating idea to develop android apps for Bioinformatics.But my question is why? I don't see any benefit of using apps for bioinformatics. App is for Marketing, Customer, Easy accessibility, Availability of your services, but not for high computing jobs. In bioinformatics we need supercomputers, not an app for play with. Bioinformatics is not a game or social business industry, but real high computing jobs. Instead of developing apps and spoil out previous time, I will suggest the bioinforamtician to develop new algorithms to solve complex biological problems. I personally think the bioinformatician or computational biologist need only one apps to connect our mobile with server to check the running programs and submit new jobs.

Anyway, I found several android based bioinformatic applications on web. Following are the links:

PDB VIewer (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.afanche.android.ATViewPDB)

PubMed4 Handhelds( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pubmed4hh/id544354407?mt=8 )

TBG - The Bioinformatics Game ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.rostlab.tbg2 )

RCSB PDB Mobile ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.rcsb.rcsbpdbapp ).

ETI BioInformatics (http://www.eti.uva.nl/products/apps.php )

Sorry If I hurt anyone with my critical review. Our time is precious concentrate on real research than this glossy stuff.

Thanks

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Bioinformaticians, computational biologist love not only biological problems but also android applications. It can be a great source to attract next gen of bioinformatics work pool. I specially love Foldit http://fold.it/portal/ which assist scientist in an interactive manner to understand prtotein folding and proteiomics in detail. For DNA alignments there is BLINK http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=blink.dna.align which is user friendly and informative. The eteRNA http://eterna.cmu.edu/web/ is for understanding and help in synthesis of RNA's that consistently fold in expected shapes. The synmod app helps us to understand the combination of aminoacids.

Love to see many more from you folks. Keep doing the great jobs.

Cheers

0

Hi RaghavaGPS,

Fundamentally the problem is biological data sharing. It would be great app that would allow people to share, update and save/exchange records easily via a centralized server.

Thanks

0

Dear RaghavaGPS,

There are several apps available for bioinformaticis researchers, few of them are mentioned over here http://bioinformaticsonline.com/pages/view/14339/apps-for-busy-bioinformatics-researchers

I hope these apps will provide some inspiration to new innovative apps.

Thanks