Translational Bioinformatics

Transitional bioinformatics is a relatively new field in biomedical informatics that is concerned with the application of clinical data dat and findings to biological and clinical problems. As the pool of clinical, biological and genetic data increases, so must new methods and procedures for storing, retrieving and applying this data into applicable uses. Without the "translation" of this data into an informational state that allows the data to be applied to clinical and biological problems, any information that can be derived from collected information would remain inaccessible. This field has emerged with both the advent of computer systems that can store and retrieve large amounts of data as well as the ability to share data between researchers and clinicians (Butte, 2008). This field specifically refers to the application of large amounts of collective data to clinical problems.

History The field of translational bioinformatics is a relatively new field. Although methods regarding the storage, translation and application of biological electronic data likely started shortly after data was stored, it is only recently that the pool of data has increased to such a size that new methods were needed to manage this data. The mapping of the human genome, in particular, presented . In 1999, the Working Group on Biomedical Computing Advisory Committee made a recommendation to the Director National Institutes of Health, pointing out that the fields of computing and biomedicine had both been growing rapidly and new methods to apply this data to clinical and biological problems were needed. This report made four recommendations, which included establishing methods to manage biological data and provide incentives and resources to build up the computer infrastructure that was needed to accomplish these tasks ("The biomedical information," 1999). Shortly afterwards, the term "translational bioinformatics" began to appear in the literature, with one of the first mentioned this term appearing in a article by Butte in 2006.

Examples and Applications TODO

Butte, A. J. (2008). Translational bioinformatics: Coming of age. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 15(6), 709-714. Retrieved from http://jamia.bmj.com/content/15/6/709.full.pdf

Working Group on Biomedical Computing Advisory Committee to the Director National Institutes of Health, (1999). The biomedical information science and technology initiative. Retrieved from website: http://www.bisti.nih.gov/library/june_1999_Rpt.asp