Background
The research topic of molecular biology information has been a hot focus and frontier area since large international project such as Humane Genome Project (HGP) has been put into practice and quickly developed. As a result, a brand-new interdisciplinary field —- Bioinformatics is born, which aims at processing the large molecule data in biology, such as nucleic acid and protein. It also begs for knowledge of mathematics, computer science, information science, physics, system science, management science as well as biology. Using the advanced technology in computer science including hardware, software and network, Bioinformatics’s main task is to explore the most important problems in biology science such as the origin of life, the evolution of biology and the rule of producing, developing and dying of cell, organ and unit through mining valuable knowledge of gene coding, gene controlling, structure and function of nucleic acid from the original data ocean. It is evident to see Bioinformatics is so important that it can greatly pull the development of biology science when humankind steps into 21-th century of post era of human genome.
Purpose
For the research object is extremely important and complex, biological science is possible to be the new center of modern science revolution in the near future under the stress of requirement and development of human kind. In this process, mathematics science faces new challenge and also a developing chance in other meaning. It is right the reason that many mathematicians and physicians have thrown themselves into this new field. As a part of them, some full professor of the AMSS (Academy of Mathematics and System Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences) have achieved some progress in this area through cooperation with experts in biology science, and their results have been approved and supported. Under this situation, the AMSS Bioinformatics Center is founded in December 2002. It’s purpose is to provide an interchange platform to promote further cooperation of AMSS and other research institutes of Bioinformatics and compressive application of mathematical methods in the fundamental and key problem in Bioinformatics. We also hope in the same time Bioinformatics can bring some branches of mathematics to further innovation and development.
Operation
The AMSS Bioinformatics Center is affiliated with Academy of Mathematics and System Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it is located in Beijing. The AMSS Bioinformatics Center is an institution consisting of faculty members and visitors from other institutions of domestic and abroad. The operation mechanism of the AMSS Bioinformatics Center is open. Faculty in AMSS and not in AMSS (need to cooperate with faculty in AMSS) can apply the support from the AMSS Bioinformatics Center. The invited faculty members (mainly scholars in AMSS) should have long work schedules. At present, support is limited in faculty in AMSS, but can be beyond the faculty in the AMSS Bioinformatics Center.
Task
The AMSS Bioinformatics Center is engaged in actively pushing cooperation and interchange in research topic in domestic and abroad, organizing the studies on major problems of Bioinformatics and practice of projects which belongs to the important national research task and choosing important research topic according with the research direction of AMSS Bioinformatics Center to support.