Bio-informatics is a subject that utilizes computers to gather, store, analyze and integrate information on life sciences and is applied to activities like gene-based drug discovery and development, environmental solutions etc. Bio-informatics is growing at an immense rate in the field of life sciences. The amount spend by the IT in bio-sciences is more than $138 million. The overall industry growth rate of bio-informatics is 25 percent and presents a huge opportunity waiting to be exploited.
With so much of scope in the sector, there are a number of jobs which are expected to come India’s way from abroad. This is mainly due to the reason that this kind of work is typically taken up by ‘IT-focused’ bio-informatics companies. The core of bioinformatics is still not being outsourced. But this trend has changed in the last couple of years. This has to do with demonstration of capabilities by Indian companies. Cost benefits for foreign biotech companies will definitely drive the bio-informatics industry in the country. Several global companies have established informatics divisions in India to take advantage of cost competitive skills in data management, structure analysis and data mining, Areas that should be exploited well are life sciences applications on hardware, database product and packages, implementation and customization of software, and functionality enhancement of databases.
OPPURTUNITIES
So is bio informatics fascinates, following could be the career options you can lay your hands on
1. Sequence Analysts - A number of biological experiments generate sequence data that should ideally be manually analyzed or by using computational methods.
2. Data Analysts - Specialists who can analyze high throughput data such as that from DNA microarrays and from mass spectrometry type of experiments.
3. Medical Informaticians - People who can combine IT knowledge with medicine, biology and clinical research needs.
4. DNA Fingerprinting - Used in the science of criminal forensic, anthropology and wildlife management.
5. 3-D structuring of data: This is a key area of work as tools to predict correct folding patterns of proteins will help drug design research substantially.
6. Further, the future needs and opportunities in biotechnology will spur the demand for managers in the bio-informatics industry.
WHAT TO LEARN
A good knowledge of biology, genetics, biochemistry, mathematics, statistics, and an ability to build algorithms and/or coding along with programming skills are a must to enter this industry, in terms of educational background, one needs to be from scientific disciplines like B.Sc/M.Sc with specialization in microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, food technology, organic chemistry, botany, zoology, statistics, B.Pharma, MBBS or BDS.
The level of growth in the sector depends upon the capability of the individual and his/her dedication towards work, ability to deliver quality work on time and ability to manage teams and ensure timely delivery. Though there is scope in the sector but there are some limitations too. Poor quality of education and very low exposure to the cutting edge technologies is the main challenge. If India has to beat the other countries in this field, education is the most important area that India should focus upon.