In the Spotlight: Bioinformatics

During 2012, next generation sequencing (NGS) has attracted great attention in the biomedical research community, especially for personalized medicine. Also, third generation sequencing has become available. Therefore, state-of-art sequencing technology and analysis are reviewed in this Bioinformatics spotlight on 2012. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing technology with wide dynamic range and single base resolution. The full promise of NGS depends on the optimization of NGS platforms, sequence alignment and assembly algorithms, data analytics, novel algorithms for integrating NGS data with existing genomic, proteomic, or metabolomic data, and quantitative assessment of NGS technology in comparing to more established technologies such as microarrays. NGS technology has been predicated to become a cornerstone of personalized medicine. It is argued that NGS is a promising field for motivated young researchers who are looking for opportunities in bioinformatics.