title: Computer-aided biotechnology: from immuno-informatics to reverse vaccinology.
abstract: Genome sequences from many organisms, including humans, have been completed, and high-throughput analyses have produced burgeoning volumes of 'omics' data. Bioinformatics is crucial for the management and analysis of such data and is increasingly used to accelerate progress in a wide variety of large-scale and object-specific functional analyses. Refined algorithms enable biotechnologists to follow 'computer-aided strategies' based on experiments driven by high-confidence predictions. In order to address compound problems, current efforts in immuno-informatics and reverse vaccinology are aimed at developing and tuning integrative approaches and user-friendly, automated bioinformatics environments. This will herald a move to 'computer-aided biotechnology': smart projects in which time-consuming and expensive large-scale experimental approaches are progressively replaced by prediction-driven investigations.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vivona
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gardy
authors.forename: Srinivasan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.forename: Fiona S L
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Brinkman
authors.forename: G P S
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Raghava
authors.forename: Darren R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Flower
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Filippini
mesh_terms: D000486:Allergy and Immunology / Q000639:trends; D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000639:trends; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000639:trends; D017076:Computer-Aided Design / Q000639:trends*; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000639:trends; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface