Facts at a glance

A new and promising science, bioinformatics weds biological research with computer science, making way for scientific discoveries from agriculture to technology. At the interface of biology and information technology, bioinformatics uses computers to analyze, link, organize, and visualize complex sets of biological data. Bioinformatics includes tasks like mapping an organism’s genome and deciphering the raw data with computer science tools. The products of bioinformatics research yield useful information to combat infectious diseases in humans, plants, and animals.

Established in July 2000 at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) integrates experimental and computational research to increase the understanding of host, pathogen, and environment interactions, collectively known as the “disease triangle.” At VBI, researchers collaborate to increase the understanding of molecular, cellular, and environmental interactions that affect human health, agricultural systems, and the environment.

In nine years of operation, VBI’s multidisciplinary research programs have leveraged an active contract base of more than $100 million (as of November 30th, 2009). Building on Virginia Tech’s strengths in life sciences, engineering, computer science, biotechnology, and agricultural research, VBI benefits a vast and varied constituency through cutting-edge research discoveries.

VBI strives to:

• Collaborate to transform biological data into useful knowledge through accessible state-of-the-art informatics tools and software
• Make bioinformatic discoveries through cutting-edge research to improve the quality of human life
• Develop core laboratory and computational infrastructures available to all researchers on a cost-recovery basis
  
• Educate and train the next generation of diverse, internationally competitive bioinformatic scientists
  
• Nurture economic development in Virginia and beyond.

The research groups at VBI specialize in the life sciences, biophysics, biochemistry, mathematics, computer science, statistics, and economics. These groups are developing new experimental techniques, applying existing and novel techniques to complex biological problems, and developing new analytic and theoretical tools to convert biological data into useful knowledge.

VBI has more than 240 employees, including faculty research staff; administrative, IT, and lab support staff; graduate research assistants; and undergraduate students.

A unique feature of VBI’s infrastructure is the integration of multi-user core facilities that integrate high-throughput data generation (Core Laboratory Facility, CLF) and data analysis (Core Computational Facility, CCF) capabilities. VBI’s Core Facilities provide researchers with access to the latest technology platforms as well as to the computational tools needed for extensive analysis of the resulting data sets.

Core Laboratory Facility
The Core Laboratory Facility (CLF) is a multi-user, cost recovery production facility that brings industrial-scale biotechnologies for the analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins to colleagues at Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as an international client base. The CLF also provides a test bed for emerging technologies from sample handling and processing, to data production and data handling steps.

Core Computational Facility
The Core Computational Facility (CCF) provides high performance computing, data storage, and infrastructure, as well as higher-level services to enhance scientific capabilities for researchers. The CCF houses powerful supercomputers, including a Sun Enterprise 15000 and a TimeLogic Decypher. The facility has more than a 160TB of disk storage capacity.

Outreach and education programs at VBI present bioinformatics research and education to the larger community. Through educational partnerships, VBI hopes to foster interest and create new, useful skills in the scientists of tomorrow. Programs like Professional Development for Math and Science Educators, High School Training Project, and High School/High Tech:

• Provide research and learning experiences for students
• Create partnerships with teachers to develop teaching resources
• Establish a recruiting pipeline for individuals interested in bioinformatics careers
• Provide bioinformatics research and educational experiences in bioinformatic for under-represented groups and women

VBI’s 130,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility is located on the Virginia Tech campus and is home to principal investigator laboratories, as well as the Institute’s core facilities – the Core Laboratory Facility (CLF) and the Core Computational Facility (CCF).

The Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory at VBI is located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and is pursuing an advanced research and development program for interaction-based modeling and simulation in an effort to understand large biological, information, social, and technological systems.

VBI occupies space in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region Operations. This location provides a platform for VBI researchers to interact with counterparts in academia, government, and industry in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area.