Abstract

CARIAGA MARTINEZ, Ariel Ernesto  and  DARIO ZAPATA, Pedro. Self-guided training program in the use of bioinformatic tools for undergraduate students of clinical biochemistry. Educ. méd. [online]. 2006, vol.9, n.4b, pp.207-211. ISSN 1575-1813.

The great scientific and technological advances of recent decades have brought biological investigation into the postgenomic age. The ready availability of crucial information for the development of new projects has caused a paradigm shift in biological investigation, in which a solid training in bioinformatics is now a basic requirement. This study presents the results of the incorporation of a self-guided practical program to introduce students of clinical biochemistry to the use of bioinformatic resources. The activities comprised genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of a gene with biomedical implications. The design of specific primers for the amplification of a fragment of the gene was proposed as a technological application. The RasMol program, version 2.7.2 (" by Herbert Bernstein 1998-2000) was used to analyses biological functions. In groups of three or four, students studying cellular and molecular biology as part of their degree in biochemistry at the National University of Misiones were asked to provide concrete answers to questions using bioinformatic analysis. The results showed that 100% of the students were able to answer all the questions. However, a wider-ranging treatment of molecular visualization programs is needed for future applications.

Keywords : practical work; didactic resources; bioinformatics; clinical biochemistry.

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