Bioinformatics Centre and ARIS Cell Madras Veterinary College

About Bioinformatics Centre and ARIS Cell Madras Veterinary College

Bioinformatics Centre, MVC Biotechnology Information System Network - BTIS

Recognizing the importance of information technology for pursuing advanced research in modern biology and biotechnology, a bioinformatics programme, envisaged as a distributed database and network organisation, was launched during 1986-87 by the Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, New Delhi.

The programme has become a very successful vehicle for transfer and exchange of information, scientific knowledge, technology packages, and references in the country involving 10-12 thousand scientific personnel. Ten Distributed Information Centres and an Apex Centre at the Department of Biotechnology, and 46 Sub-Distributed Information Centres, located in universities and research institutes of national importance, are fully engaged in this task. Six national facilities have been set up for interactive graphics based molecular modelling and other biocomputational needs. Four long term courses at the level of post MSc Diploma in Bioinformatics, at Poona University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Calcutta University and Madurai Kamaraj University, are fullfilling the long outstanding need for trained human resources in this inter-disciplinary area. The entire network has emerged as a very sophisticated scientific infrastructure for bioinformatics involving state-of-the-art computational and communication facilities.

BTIS at TANUVAS

The Bioinformatics Centre at Madras Veterinary College has been identified as one such node in the network which was established in the year 1990-1991 to cater to the needs of scientists of Veterinary, Animal and Fishery Sciences in the field of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology.

The Centre has been providing computational facilities, bioinformatics –related services to its users. The hardware, software and the expertise available at this centre facilitate the users in every possible way. The centre is equipped with state-of-art services and facilitates information storage and retrieval and an in-house wetlab to carry out molecular biology works.

Major activities of the centre include human resource development, research, information retrieval, database creation etc.,

Two PG courses namely, M.Sc., Bioinformatics and PG Diploma in Bioinformatics are being offered at this centre.

The centre is carrying out research in the area of Drug discovery/docking, lead optimization, Epitope prediction, Microarray Analysis, Pathway Analysis, Database creation, Modelling and Comparative Genomics etc.