The Development of Computational Biology in Pakistan: Still a Long Way to Go

Different researchers from across the globe are currently using computer technology coupled with biological research to answer biologically relevant questions. Computational biology is playing a fundamentally important role in the development of society by providing information quickly and facilitating the research process. This field of study was introduced to Pakistan in 2003, when undergraduate degree programs in Bioinformatics were created in two different universities. Such institutions have now increased to 14. Since the introduction of the field in Pakistan many workshops and conferences have also been organized by public and private institutions. A few enthusiastic students of bioinformatics in the country have also started a regional group, ISCBRSG-Pakistan (http://www.iscbsc.org/ rsg/rsg-pakistan) as well as hosting a bulletin board (http://groups.google. com/group/ISCB-RSG-Pakistan) where students and researchers communicate with each other, discuss their projects, share their knowledge, and enhance their exposure in the field of study. The purpose of this article is to review the current situation of computational biology and bioinformatics research, as well as the availability of resources and the awareness among students in Pakistan. In our opinion, these are important parameters which will play a fundamental role in improving bioinformatics and computational biology research in Pakistan.