APBioNet Event:
BioGRID01
Shoba Ranganathan
Vice-President, APBioNet
Assoc Prof, Bioinformatics Centre
National University of Singapore
shoba@bic.nus.edu.sg
Our New Website www.apbionet.org
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Growth of APBionet
APBioNet was founded in Jan 1998 at the Pacific
Symposium for Bioinformatics, Hawaii as a non-profit
organization.
2nd organizational meeting: June - July 1998 at the
Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Systems
for Molecular Biology in Montreal, Canada.
2nd AGM: Jan 1999 at PSB'99, Hawaii.
3rd AGM: Jan 2000 at PSB’00, Hawaii.
4th AGM: Jan 2001 at PSB’01, Hawaii.
5th AGM: Feb 2002 at BANGKOK!!!
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
APBioNet’s aims
APBioNet is dedicated:
to the advancement of the field of bioinformatics
and its development
network infrastructure,
the exchange of data and information,
the development of training programs, workshops
and symposia and
the encouragement of collaborations in the field of
bioinformatics.
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Current Executive of APBionet
President: Prof. S Subbiah
Vice-President: Assoc Prof S Ranganathan
Secretariat headed by Assoc Prof Tan Tin Wee
at the National University of Singapore
Continuing from Jan 2000
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Founding Members of APBionet
Prof S.Subbiah, Stanford University
Prof H Sugawara, National Institute of Genetics,
Japan
Assoc Prof Tan Tin Wee, Bioinformatics Centre,
National University of Singapore
Assoc Prof Tim Littlejohn, Australian National
Genomics Information Service, Sydney
Dr Christoph Sensen, Canadian Bioinformatics
Resource, National Research Council of Canada
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
An Asian Perspective?
(Spengler, Science, 287 [2000] 1221)
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Essential elements of Bioinformatics
...We must hook our individual computers into the
worldwide network that gives us access to daily
changes in the databases and also makes
immediate our communications with each other.
The programs that display and analyze the
material for us must be improved - and we must
learn to use them more effectively. Like the
purchased kits, they will make our life easier, but
also like the kits, we must understand enough of
how they work to use them effectively…
Walter Gilbert (1991)
“Towards a paradigm shift in biology”
Nature News and Views 349:99
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Internet: APBionet & APAN
To further the development of the bioinformatics network
infrastructure, APBioNet has formed a partnership with
the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network project (APAN).
Towards the exchange of data and information,
APBioNet's collaboration with APAN will link DDBJ,
GenomeNet, HGC, NCC, ANGIS, MAFFIN, as well as
allow individuals to exchange data and other scientific
information quickly.
New APAN Natural Resource Area – with Agriculture
and Earth Monitoring
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
BioMirrors Project
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Bio-Mirrors
22 relevant Bioinformatics databases maintained and
updated regularly worldwide.
High speed access is provided by Internet2
infrastructure of the Very High Speed Backbone
Service (vBNS), Abilene, TransPAC and the AsiaPacific Advanced Network (APAN).
Currently there are 9 Bio-mirror nodes: Australia,
China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Taiwan and USA (data source)
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
BioGRID
Originally proposed as a distributed GRID
computing project for Bioinformatics problems.
However, despite the setting up of large-scale
grid computing facilities worldwide, BioGRID is
yet to take off.
The time is right now and a new WG is being
constituted to start this afresh – volunteers
welcome!
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Activities
APBioNet has sponsored or co-sponsored
workshops and conferences in the areas of
bioinformatics, molecular phylogenetics,
biomolecular structural analysis and protein
simulations.
Biomirrors project, with APAN collaboration
BioGrid: network of distributed scientific computing
Regional Bioinformatics awareness and outreach
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
Member countries active in 2000-1
Australia
China
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Malaysia
Nepal
Russia
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
USA
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
New Events and Initiatives - 1
1.
InCOB 2002 Conference in Bangkok Feb 2002
supported by APBioNet
Forum on
i. BioPathways consortium,
ii. I3C Informatics Interoperability consortium
iii. BioOntologies consortium
iv. SIGSIM
v. WEB01 Bioinformatics Education
vi. Bioinformatics Open Source Consortium
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
New Event & Initiatives - 2
AsiaPacific Bioinformatics Institute
(distributed campus)
Requirements document
ABI Task Force formation
International Selection Committee
Draft under preparation:
"Call for Proposal of Host Institutions
/ countries"
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
New Event & Initiatives - 3
S* Life Science Informatics Alliance
Global Bioinformatics Education trial course module by
Shoba Ranganathan, Secretary, S* Alliance
1. Online Registration for any student in the world
2. Online Lectures by S* Stanford-SingaporeSweden-SANBI-Sydney professors
3. Online Tutorials, Online Webchat and FAQs and
online Teaching assistants
4. Online Assessment and Award of S* credits
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
New Event & Initiatives – 3…
S* Life Science Informatics Alliance
5. Opportunity to register for Graduate Programs of
S* Universities based on excellent results in
Assessment
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Stanford University
South Africa National Bioinformatics Institute
National University of Singapore
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Uppsala University, Sweden
University of Sydney
6. Course curriculum Development
7. Course evaluation
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
New Event & Initiatives - 4
BioGRID 2001 @ Singapore
What is GRID computing?
How can we harness its power for Genomics &
Bioinformatics?
Examples of successful implementation of
protocols and software for biocomputing
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region
How to reach us
Join APBionet: http://www.apbionet.org
Suggestions/comments to: sec@apbionet.org
Fostering Bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific Region