For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Martino
Phone Number:  (215) 895-1186
Date: 09/27/00

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Introduces Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in Bioinformatics

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) announces it has received approval to offer a curriculum in bioinformatics leading to Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. USP admitted the first graduate students to its new bioinformatics program earlier this month, and expects to admit its first undergraduates in bioinformatics in 2001.

Bioinformatics has been described as "the future of the life sciences" and one of the key disciplines of the new century. This emerging field combines molecular biology, chemistry, computer programming, and mathematics to answer crucial health and genetic questions.

"Recent scientific breakthroughs are creating an enormous amount of genetic and molecular data for scientists to comprehend. Our bioinformatics students will learn advanced research techniques that will allow them to collect and analyze this data, so that they can help uncover the secrets of the human genome," explains Dr. Randy J. Zauhar, associate professor of biochemistry and director of the new bioinformatics graduate program at USP. He adds, "With this knowledge, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will be able to design new medicines to improve human health."

The USP bioinformatics curriculum employs an interdisciplinary approach that includes biological science, computer science and mathematics. Students will take courses in probability, statistics and graph theory, modeling and simulation, as well as molecular biology, genomics, chemistry, and database design and programming. Courses offered this fall will include Bioinformatics I (Genomics), a new course studying the genomic organization of viral, bacterial, plant, animal and human life forms; Biotechnology, an advanced survey of modern genetic engineering techniques; and Computer-Aided Drug Design, an elective for the graduate degree program.  Dr. Zauhar notes, "USP is in a unique position to serve the needs of life science professionals in the metropolitan Philadelphia area who are eager to enter this exciting new field. Our close ties to the local pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry make us a natural home for working scientists who want to make a shift in their careers, and we will offer them a practical, hands-on curriculum. The graduate program will be focused on the special requirements of returning professionals who want to gain specific skills in programming and database design, along with up-to-date training in the theory and practice of bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics specialists are already in great demand, and the rapid growth of the profession is expected to continue. Frost & Sullivan, a Calif. consulting firm, has predicted a growth rate of 10 percent annually in the bioinformatics market, and the National Science Foundation estimates that 20,000 bioinformatics workers will be needed by 2005.

Dr. James C. Pierce, assistant professor of genetics/biotechnology at USP and director of the undergraduate bioinformatics program, observes, "As one of the few programs applying this discipline at the undergraduate level, we’re providing the biology degree of the 21st century. Bioinformatics is the foundation for the manipulation and understanding of scientific information. In short, it’s a revolution in science."

For more information about the bioinformatics program at USP, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-996-8747 or the Center for Extended and Distance Learning at 215-596-8556.

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