Fatumo Segun A, Adoga Moses P, Ojo Opeolu O, Oluwagbemi Olugbenga, Adeoye Tolulope, Ewejobi Itunuoluwa, Adebiyi Marion, Adebiyi Ezekiel, Bewaji Clement, Nashiru Oyekanmi
H3Africa Bioinformatics Network (H3ABioNet) Node, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), Abuja, Nigeria; Human Genetics Department, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom; International Health Research Group, Department of Public Health & Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Computational and Evolutionary Biology/Bioinformatics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Microbiology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
PLoS Comput Biol. 2014 Apr 24;10(4):e1003516. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003516. eCollection 2014 Apr.
Over the past few decades, major advances in the field of molecular biology, coupled with advances in genomic technologies, have led to an explosive growth in the biological data generated by the scientific community. The critical need to process and analyze such a deluge of data and turn it into useful knowledge has caused bioinformatics to gain prominence and importance. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area that applies techniques, methodologies, and tools in computer and information science to solve biological problems. In Nigeria, bioinformatics has recently played a vital role in the advancement of biological sciences. As a developing country, the importance of bioinformatics is rapidly gaining acceptance, and bioinformatics groups comprised of biologists, computer scientists, and computer engineers are being constituted at Nigerian universities and research institutes. In this article, we present an overview of bioinformatics education and research in Nigeria. We also discuss professional societies and academic and research institutions that play central roles in advancing the discipline in Nigeria. Finally, we propose strategies that can bolster bioinformatics education and support from policy makers in Nigeria, with potential positive implications for other developing countries.
在过去几十年里，分子生物学领域的重大进展，再加上基因组技术的进步，使得科学界产生的生物数据呈爆炸式增长。处理和分析如此海量数据并将其转化为有用知识的迫切需求，促使生物信息学变得日益突出和重要。生物信息学是一个跨学科研究领域，它应用计算机和信息科学的技术、方法及工具来解决生物学问题。在尼日利亚，生物信息学最近在生物科学的发展中发挥了至关重要的作用。作为一个发展中国家，生物信息学的重要性正迅速得到认可，尼日利亚的大学和研究机构正在组建由生物学家、计算机科学家和计算机工程师组成的生物信息学团队。在本文中，我们概述了尼日利亚的生物信息学教育与研究情况。我们还讨论了在推动尼日利亚该学科发展中发挥核心作用的专业协会以及学术和研究机构。最后，我们提出了一些策略，这些策略可以加强尼日利亚的生物信息学教育并获得政策制定者的支持，对其他发展中国家可能产生积极影响。
