Introduction to Bioinformatics
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What you'll learn
Synthesize multi-omics data to generate integrative biological insights.
Critically evaluate and refine computational algorithms including patient subtyping, cell classification, and relationship extraction.
Apply tools and techniques like language models, clustering and visualisation, to analyse and interpret complex biological and clinical datasets.
Skills you'll gain
- Data Preprocessing
- Markov Model
- Applied Machine Learning
- Cell Biology
- Data Analysis
- Computational Thinking
- Unsupervised Learning
- Scientific Visualization
- Data Management
- Dimensionality Reduction
- Network Model
- Algorithms
- Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
- Correlation Analysis
- Large Language Modeling
- Data Mining
- Clinical Data Management
- Bioinformatics
- Precision Medicine
- LLM Application
Details to know
56 assignments
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There are 10 modules in this course
Unlock the future of biological data analysis with our "Introduction to Bioinformatics" course. This comprehensive course combines bioinformatics, molecular biology, and computational techniques, equipping you with the skills to analyze complex biological and clinical data. Beginning with fundamental concepts, the course explores advanced topics like RNA sequencing analysis, single-cell genomics, gene-gene association studies, and medical text mining.
You'll gain hands-on experience by working with real-world datasets from renowned databases such as NCBI, TCGA, and PubMed, using cutting-edge tools and frameworks. Our course balances theoretical understanding with practical implementation, priming you for roles in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare. Targeted at biology and computer science students, early-career scientists transitioning into bioinformatics, and healthcare professionals keen on computational methods for improved patient care, the course also suits data analysts and researchers seeking to enhance their bioinformatics skills. Ideal job roles post-completion include bioinformatics analyst, computational biologist, research scientist, and healthcare data specialist. Whether you're advancing your bioinformatics career or enhancing research capabilities, this course offers essential knowledge and skills to succeed in today's data-driven world. Enrol now to transform your passion for biological data into a rewarding career.
Discover the exciting field of Bioinformatics, focusing on its role in analysing biological data and its applications. Gain foundational knowledge of its interdisciplinary nature and importance in modern biology. Learn about unique methodologies and contributions of each subfield, essential data types, and best practices for data management.
What's included
15 videos7 readings6 assignments
15 videosβ’Total 67 minutes
- About Bioinformaticsβ’5 minutes
- Meet Your Instructor - Prof. Saby Johnβ’2 minutes
- Meet Your Instructor - Prof. Seetha Parameswaranβ’2 minutes
- Meet Your Instructor - Dr. Reddy Rani Vβ’1 minute
- Definition of Bioinformaticsβ’4 minutes
- Application of Bioinformaticsβ’6 minutes
- Key Functions of Bioinformaticsβ’4 minutes
- Classificationβ’5 minutes
- Assemblyβ’4 minutes
- Resequencingβ’5 minutes
- Quantificationβ’5 minutes
- Dataβ’3 minutes
- Bioinformatics Dataβ’4 minutes
- Python and BioPythonβ’3 minutes
- Demo: Pandas and Matplotlib β’15 minutes
7 readingsβ’Total 50 minutes
- Course Overviewβ’10 minutes
- Course Structure & Critical Informationβ’10 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Introduction to Bioinformaticsβ’5 minutes
- The Diverse Landscape of Bioinformatics: Understanding Key Subfieldsβ’10 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Handling Biological Dataβ’5 minutes
- Python Notebooks used for Demosβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Introduction to Python for Bioinformaticsβ’5 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 78 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Bioinformaticsβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Subfields of Bioinformaticsβ’12 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Bioinformatics Dataβ’6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Python For Bioinformaticsβ’6 minutes
- Let's Practice: Introduction to Bioinformaticsβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Introduction to Bioinformaticsβ’30 minutes
In this module, you will explore the fundamentals of molecular biology, focusing on the structure and function of nucleic acids, proteins, and other essential biomolecules. You will learn how DNA and RNA store, replicate, and express genetic information. We will cover transcription and translation, revealing how proteins are synthesised and function within the cell. Additionally, you will examine gene regulation, mutations, and the molecular basis of genetic variation and evolution. Understanding these principles is essential for analyzing and interpreting biological data using bioinformatics tools.
What's included
10 videos10 readings5 assignments
10 videosβ’Total 93 minutes
- Living (Cellular) vs Non-Living (Virus, Viroid, Prion)β’11 minutes
- Virusesβ’13 minutes
- Classification of Life β’10 minutes
- Evolutionβ’8 minutes
- Structure of Bacterial, Plant, Animal Cellsβ’10 minutes
- Types of Cells in Humanβ’8 minutes
- Cancerβ’8 minutes
- Bacterial and Eukaryotic Chromosomesβ’9 minutes
- DNA, RNA - Structure and Functionβ’8 minutes
- Protein Structure and Functionβ’10 minutes
10 readingsβ’Total 50 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Living vs Non-Living Entitiesβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Introduction to Viruses β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Classification of Life β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Evolutionβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Structure of Bacterial, Plant, Animal Cells β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Types of Cells in Human β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Cancerβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Bacterial and Eukaryotic Chromosomes β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: DNA, RNA - Structure and Function β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Protein Structure and Function β’5 minutes
5 assignmentsβ’Total 90 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Life, Systematics and Evolutionβ’24 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: The Living Cellβ’18 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Chromosomes, DNA, RNA and Proteinsβ’18 minutes
- Let's Practice: Biology for Bioinformaticsβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Biology for Bioinformaticsβ’15 minutes
In this module, you will explore crucial molecular biology concepts vital for bioinformatics. Create a comprehensive concept map to understand DNA replication and gene expression processes. Study DNA sequencing principles to learn methods for decoding genetic information, and examine gene structure and regulation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Discover the central dogma of molecular biology, describing the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. This module builds a solid foundation for applying computational tools in bioinformatics, enhancing your knowledge and skills in this fascinating field.
What's included
10 videos10 readings5 assignments
10 videosβ’Total 82 minutes
- DNA Replication β’8 minutes
- DNA Mutationsβ’7 minutes
- Nucleic Acid Sequencingβ’10 minutes
- Gene Structure & Regulation in Prokaryotesβ’8 minutes
- Gene Structure & Regulation in Eukaryotesβ’8 minutes
- Genes and Genomicsβ’9 minutes
- The Central Dogma - Overviewβ’7 minutes
- Transcription (DNA to RNA)β’8 minutes
- Translation (RNA to Protein)β’9 minutes
- Genetic Code β’9 minutes
10 readingsβ’Total 50 minutes
- Dive Deeper: DNA Replicationβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: DNA Mutations β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Nucleic Acid Sequencing β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Gene Structure & Regulation in Prokaryotes β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Gene Structure and Regulation in Eukaryotes β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Genes and Genomics β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: The Central Dogma - Overviewβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Transcription (DNA to RNA)β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Translation (RNA to Protein)β’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Genetic Code β’5 minutes
5 assignmentsβ’Total 93 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: DNA Replication, Mutations and Sequencingβ’18 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Gene Structure, Regulation and Expressionβ’18 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: The Central Dogmaβ’12 minutes
- Let's Practice: Molecular Biology for Bioinformaticsβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Molecular Biology for Bioinformaticsβ’30 minutes
This module teaches you how to leverage RNA sequencing data for patient subtyping. You will master the entire workflow, from raw data acquisition to grouping samples. Start with hands-on experience in extracting and normalizing RNA-seq data from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, explore and apply two clustering approaches: Hierarchical Clustering and the Louvain Algorithm, to identify meaningful patient subtypes. Conclude by comparing the effectiveness of these clustering methods and learning survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier curves.
What's included
12 videos4 readings6 assignments
12 videosβ’Total 76 minutes
- Why Patient Subtypingβ’7 minutes
- Retrieving RNA-Seq Data - NCBI GEO Database β’8 minutes
- Normalisation of RNA-Seq Dataβ’9 minutes
- Patient Subtyping Methodsβ’6 minutes
- Hierarchical Clustering Part Aβ’7 minutes
- Hierarchical Clustering Part Bβ’5 minutes
- Louvain Algorithmβ’9 minutes
- Kaplan-Meier Curvesβ’6 minutes
- Conclusion and Findings β’4 minutes
- Demo of Downloading Data from NCBIβ’4 minutes
- Demo of Hierarchical Clusteringβ’5 minutes
- Demo of Louvain Clusteringβ’6 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 55 minutes
- Essential Reading: Data Extraction and Preprocessing β’15 minutes
- Essential Reading: Clustering Algorithms β’15 minutes
- Essential Reading: Validating the Subtypes β’15 minutes
- Essential Reading: Files Used for Demosβ’10 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 81 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Data Extraction & Preprocessingβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Clustering Algorithmsβ’12 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Validating the Subtypesβ’6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Clustering Techniquesβ’9 minutes
- Let's Practice: Patient Subtyping using RNA-Seq Dataβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Patient Subtyping using RNA-Seq Dataβ’30 minutes
In this module, you will explore machine learning applications for cell type classification using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Learn the full workflow, from data acquisition and preprocessing to feature selection and classification algorithm implementation. Engage in hands-on exercises to build and evaluate models for accurate cell type identification, gaining practical insights into scRNA-seq data analysis for biological research.
What's included
10 videos4 readings6 assignments
10 videosβ’Total 62 minutes
- RNA-Seq vs scRNA-Seq Studyβ’8 minutes
- Classification of Cellsβ’7 minutes
- Feature Selectionβ’7 minutes
- Principal Component Analysis (PCA)β’11 minutes
- Visualising High Dimension Dataβ’6 minutes
- Decision Tree Fundamentalsβ’9 minutes
- Evaluating Classification Resultsβ’5 minutes
- Demo: Dimensionality Reduction using Principle Component Analysisβ’4 minutes
- Demo: Implementing Decision Tree for Cell Type Classificationβ’3 minutes
- Demo: Implementing a Confusion Matrixβ’2 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 20 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Introduction to Single-Cell RNA Sequencingβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Dimensionality Reduction and Visualisationβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Classifying Cells of Lung Cancer Dataβ’5 minutes
- Python Notebooks Used for Demosβ’5 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 75 minutes
- Check your understanding: Introduction to Single-Cell RNA Sequencingβ’6 minutes
- Check your understanding: Dimensionality Reduction and Visualisationβ’9 minutes
- Check your understanding: Classifying Cells of Lung Cancer Dataβ’6 minutes
- Check your understanding: Dimensionality Reduction using Principle Component Analysisβ’9 minutes
- Let's Practice: Cell Classification Using Single Cell RNA-Seq Dataβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Cell Classification Using Single Cell RNA-Seq Dataβ’30 minutes
Explore gene-gene associations using methylation and mRNA data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Learn to process and analyze high-dimensional omics data, construct gene association networks, and handle real cancer datasets. Master normalization techniques, network construction methods, and visualizations to enhance your biological understanding through practical, hands-on experience.
What's included
12 videos4 readings6 assignments
12 videosβ’Total 78 minutes
- TCGA Database Overviewβ’6 minutes
- Understanding Gene-Gene Associationsβ’6 minutes
- Data Downloadingβ’5 minutes
- Data Normalisation Techniquesβ’8 minutes
- Network Construction β Part Aβ’8 minutes
- Network Construction β Part Bβ’5 minutes
- Visualisation using Cytoscapeβ’7 minutes
- Understanding Graph Theory - Part Aβ’6 minutes
- Understanding Graph Theory - Part Bβ’8 minutes
- Demo: TCGA Downloadβ’8 minutes
- Demo: Implementing Network Constructionβ’4 minutes
- Demo: Cytoscape Explorationβ’6 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Data for Gene-Gene Association Studiesβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Network Constructionβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Network Scienceβ’5 minutes
- Files Used for Demosβ’10 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 81 minutes
- Check your understanding: Data for Gene-Gene Association Studiesβ’12 minutes
- Check your understanding: Network Constructionβ’6 minutes
- Check your understanding: Network Scienceβ’9 minutes
- Check your understanding: Using Cytoscapeβ’9 minutes
- Let's Practice: Gene-Gene Association Analysis of a Phenotypeβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Gene-Gene Association Analysis of a Phenotypeβ’30 minutes
In this module, you will explore the core concepts and practical applications of gene enrichment and pathway analysis in biological research. Learn to analyse gene lists, understand Gene Ontology structures, and interpret biological pathways. Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools like DAVID and STRING to transform complex genomic data into meaningful insights. Emphasise understanding pathway networks and disease associations to prepare for real-world genomics research applications.
What's included
11 videos5 readings6 assignments
11 videosβ’Total 75 minutes
- Introduction to Gene Enrichment and Pathway Analysisβ’6 minutes
- Gene Lists and Background Setsβ’6 minutes
- Introduction to Gene Ontologyβ’8 minutes
- Statistical Methods in Enrichment Analysisβ’7 minutes
- Fisherβs Exact Test β’9 minutes
- Chi-Square Testβ’9 minutes
- Multiple Comparisons Testβ’5 minutes
- DAVID - Gene Enrichment Tool β’6 minutes
- Pathway Interaction Networkβ’10 minutes
- Demo: Statistical Methods for Gene Significance Analysisβ’6 minutes
- Demo: Using STRING for Analyzing PPIsβ’5 minutes
5 readingsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Gene Enrichment Analysisβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Statistical methods in Gene Enrichment Studiesβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Interpretation and Visualisationβ’5 minutes
- Files Used for Demosβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Advanced Statistical Methods for Gene Category Analysisβ’5 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 78 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Foundations of Enrichment Analysisβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Gene Ontology and Pathway Enrichmentβ’12 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Interpretation and Visualisationβ’6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Using STRINGβ’6 minutes
- Let's Practice: Gene Ontology & Pathway Enrichment Analysisβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Gene Ontology & Pathway Enrichment Analysisβ’30 minutes
Explore Natural Language Processing (NLP) with a focus on biomedical applications. Start with core NLP concepts and progress through essential libraries and preprocessing techniques for medical text data. Delve into specialised topics like Named Entity Recognition and pattern matching in clinical contexts. Learn about transformer architectures and their applications in biomedical text analysis. Gain hands-on experience with tools like BioBERT and NLTK to process, analyse, and extract insights from medical literature.
What's included
10 videos3 readings5 assignments
10 videosβ’Total 64 minutes
- Introduction to NLP Fundamentalsβ’6 minutes
- NLP Libraries (NLTK, spaCy)β’4 minutes
- Text Preprocessing Techniquesβ’10 minutes
- Named Entity Recognitionβ’3 minutes
- Pattern Matchingβ’4 minutes
- Rule Based Systemβ’5 minutes
- Contextual Analysisβ’4 minutes
- Demo: Text Processing using NLTKβ’10 minutes
- Demo: Medical NER using NLTK β’8 minutes
- Demo: Medical Text Analysisβ’11 minutes
3 readingsβ’Total 30 minutes
- Essential Reading: Foundations of NLPβ’15 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Text Analysisβ’5 minutes
- Files Used for Demosβ’10 minutes
5 assignmentsβ’Total 75 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Foundations of NLPβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Text Analysisβ’12 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Using NLTKβ’9 minutes
- Let's Practice: NLP Foundationsβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: NLP Foundationsβ’30 minutes
Explore medical text mining and knowledge extraction in this module. Begin by examining the unique characteristics of medical text and PubMed data organization. Progress through medical ontologies and specialised language models like BioBERT for a solid text analysis foundation. Finally, extract and analyze complex medical relationships, including disease-symptom associations, drug interactions, and comorbidity patterns. Apply advanced NLP techniques to gain actionable insights from medical literature.
What's included
13 videos4 readings6 assignments
13 videosβ’Total 75 minutes
- Introduction to Medical NLPβ’4 minutes
- PubMed Data Structureβ’4 minutes
- Medical Ontologiesβ’4 minutes
- Transformersβ’6 minutes
- BERT and BioBERT Modelsβ’7 minutes
- Relationship Extractionβ’6 minutes
- Disease-Symptom Relationshipsβ’4 minutes
- Drug-Disease Relationshipsβ’5 minutes
- Comorbidity Detectionβ’5 minutes
- Demo: Drug-Disease Relationship Extraction Using NLTKβ’7 minutes
- Demo: Disease Symptom Relationship Using NLTK β’6 minutes
- Demo: Comorbidity Detection Using NLTKβ’10 minutes
- Demo: Relationship Extraction Using BioBERTβ’7 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Medical Text Mining Foundationsβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Introduction to Transformersβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Relationship Miningβ’5 minutes
- Files Used for Demosβ’10 minutes
6 assignmentsβ’Total 84 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Medical Text Mining Foundationsβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Introduction to Transformersβ’6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Relationship Miningβ’12 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Relationship Mining using NLTK and BioBERTβ’12 minutes
- Let's Practice: Knowledge Discoveryβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: Knowledge Discoveryβ’30 minutes
In this module, you'll learn the essential knowledge and techniques for working with raw DNA data, including understanding its structure and organization, like SNP data. You'll dive into genetic distance metrics to identify genetic relationships between individuals and explore common distance calculation algorithms and DNA matching techniques. You'll also learn methods for statistically analyzing genetic match results and building a relationship prediction system. Finally, you'll explore visualization and network analysis approaches to gain deeper insights from DNA match data, create interactive chromosome-level visualizations, and use graph-theoretic methods to uncover complex familial relationships within the DNA match network.
What's included
11 videos5 readings5 assignments
11 videosβ’Total 56 minutes
- DNA Data Analysisβ’3 minutes
- Understanding Raw DNA Dataβ’4 minutes
- Data Import and Cleaningβ’4 minutes
- Genetic Distance Metricsβ’4 minutes
- DNA Matching Algorithmsβ’5 minutes
- Building a Relationship Prediction Systemβ’7 minutes
- Chromosome Visualisationβ’2 minutes
- Demo: Generating Synthetic DNA Data and Calculating Distance Metricsβ’6 minutes
- Demo: DNA Matching Algorithms and Statistical Analysisβ’8 minutes
- Demo: Relationship Prediction and Model Evaluationβ’9 minutes
- Demo: Chromosome Ideogramβ’4 minutes
5 readingsβ’Total 35 minutes
- Dive Deeper: DNA Dataβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: DNA Matchingβ’5 minutes
- Dive Deeper: Relationship Prediction System and Visualisationβ’5 minutes
- Files Used for Demosβ’10 minutes
- Course Summaryβ’10 minutes
5 assignmentsβ’Total 66 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: DNA Dataβ’9 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: DNA Matchingβ’6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Relationship Prediction System and Visualisationβ’6 minutes
- Let's Practice: DNA Data Analysisβ’15 minutes
- Test Yourself: DNA Data Analysisβ’30 minutes
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.ΒΉ
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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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University of California San Diego
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The State University of New York
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