The development of computational biology in South Africa : successes achieved and lessons learnt

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Authors

Mulder, Nicola J.
Christoffels, Alan
De Oliveira, Tulio
Gamieldien, Junaid
Hazelhurst, Scott
Joubert, Fourie
Kumuthini, Judit
Pillay, Che S.
Snoep, Jacky L.
Bishop, Ozlem Tastan

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Public Library of Science

Abstract

Bioinformatics is now a critical skill in many research and commercial environments as biological data are increasing in both size and complexity. South African researchers recognized this need in the mid-1990s and responded by working with the government as well as international bodies to develop initiatives to build bioinformatics capacity in the country. Significant injections of support from these bodies provided a springboard for the establishment of computational biology units at multiple universities throughout the country, which took on teaching, basic research and support roles. Several challenges were encountered, for example with unreliability of funding, lack of skills, and lack of infrastructure. However, the bioinformatics community worked together to overcome these, and South Africa is now arguably the leading country in bioinformatics on the African continent. Here we discuss how the discipline developed in the country, highlighting the challenges, successes, and lessons learnt.

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Keywords

Bioinformatics, South Africa (SA), Computational biology units, Universities

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Mulder NJ, Christoffels A, de Oliveira T, Gamieldien J, Hazelhurst S, Joubert F, et al. (2016) The Development of Computational Biology in South Africa: Successes Achieved and Lessons Learnt. PLoS Comput Biol 12(2): e1004395. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004395.