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ACM SIGBioinformatics

The Biology scene of recent years has been characterized by relevant improvements in biological research sustained by the introduction of novel technologies for investigations of molecular machineries. A huge amount of data coming from such experiments has been stored in novel databases; new algorithms for studying functions, structures, and interactions of proteins and genes have been introduced; and, almost all "omics" areas have been touched by new data sources with large repositories, new computational tools and applications powered by new algorithms.

The ACM Special Interest Group on Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Biomedical Informatics (SIGBio) has been instituted in 2010 with the aim of focusing on research on bioinformatics data management topics, roughly covered by the so-called biological and biomedical data, knowledge, and information management. The focus of SIGBio is to bridge computer science, mathematics, statistics with biology and biomedicine sharing research interests in the management of data related to life sciences. The mission of ACM SIGBio is to support advanced research, training, and outreach in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Biomedical Informatics by stimulating interactions among researchers, educators and practitioners from related multi-disciplinary felds.

ACM annual International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ACM BCB), instituted in 2010, was the first ACM conference in the areas of bioinformatics, computational biology, and biomedical informatics. SIGBio has been instituted as a result of the overwhelming interest and enthusiasm expressed by the participants of the 2010 ACM BCB conference. The ACM BCB conference participants are a community of researchers with diverse and heterogeneous educational backgrounds and with immense interests in areas such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, systems biology, tissue engineering, medical data and image analysis. The result in ACM BCB 2010 was three days of enthusiastic interactions among researchers in this broad community about the study, development and applications of computational techniques for managing data related to biological and biomedical informatics problems. The conference continues to be a vibrant meeting, attracting an increased audience, adding focused events such as tutorials and workshops, and continuously improving in quality.

Researchers are invited to join and participate in SIGBio activities. SIGBio membership is open to both ACM members and non-members.