Bioinformatics is the science of using information to understand biology. The bioinformatics research carried out through the efforts of CERM and collaborators is realized on various levels, with a wide range of applications.

In particular, the following lines of research are pursued:

Construction of a database of metalloproteins (metallome)
Analysis of weak interactions among proteins
Comparative analyses of genomic sequences and genetic data banks
Evolutionary analyses of metalloprotein families
Simulations of molecular dynamics of metalloproteins
In silico docking of candidate pharmaceuticals against selected pharmacological targets

These aspects of research are complementary among themselves and within the research methods used.  A synergy is thus created among theory and experimentation that amplifies the capacity and impact of the scientific work of others, stimulating the development of innovative applications.  The ultimate goal is the acquisition at of a vision at the cellular level of the role of metals in Life and the corresponding pathological aspects.

The wealth of information being derived from genome sequencing projects is becoming particularly attractive because it can contribute to the understanding of the basic mechanisms of life.  However, the challenge of handing and analyzing a huge amount of data requires more and more efficient bioinformatic tools. 

The role of informatics in biological, chemical, medical, and pharmaceutical research is extremely important because it allows for the creation of large databases containing information about proteins, DNA, and organic molecules, and permits the fast mining of data.  Software programs can then be used to elaborate this information through statistical analysis, theoretical calculations, and simulations.

Among a variety of research informatics needs, genomic and proteomics high-throughput research constitutes the major domain.  Within this framework, the following tasks can be performed: genome browsing, multiple sequence alignments, phylogenetic trees, pattern recognition, secondary and tertiary structure prediction, classification, structure modeling, structure comparison, evaluation of surface properties, and translation evolutionary analysis.  Molecular dynamics simulations and drug design also require efficient software programs, large memory availability and powerful computational resources.

Bioinformatics research areas form a “bioinformatics circuit”, in which a purely theoretical approach to biological questions can be utilized.  Moreover, bioinformatics is an informational resource that integrates and stimulates structural and functional studies, thus allowing us to “run” quickly around the everyday problems of experimental work.