Computational Biology

Computational biology is the study of biological, ecological, behavioural, and social systems through the development and implementation of data-analytical and theoretical methodologies, mathematical modelling, and computational simulation approaches. Computational biology is a branch of biology that seeks to address the question, "How can we learn and use models of biological systems derived from experimental data?" These models could explain what biological tasks specific nucleic acid or peptide sequences perform, which gene (or genes) produce a specific phenotype or behaviour when expressed, what sequence of changes in gene or protein expression or localization leads to a specific disease, and how changes in cell organisation influence cell behaviour. Biological computing, an area of computer engineering that uses bioengineering and biology to create computers, is not the same as computational biology. Computational biology is a broad field that aims to develop models for a wide range of experimental data (e.g., concentrations, sequences, images, and so on) and biological systems (e.g., molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and so on), and it employs methods from a variety of mathematical and computational fields (e.g., complexity theory, algorithmics, machine learning, robotics, etc.).