Enabling Sciences and Technology

Bioinformatics

Research in bioinformatics (the study of information, its structure and use) concerns the elucidation of new information management techniques that can aid in the basic life sciences.

A major theme of investigation involves encoding the knowledge of clinical-practice guidelines within computers and the development of information technology that can communicate these “best practices” directly to clinicians at the point of care. Investigators are seeking new ways to represent and archive experimental data so that intelligent software systems can interpret the results and compare experimental outcomes automatically.

A particular strength of the informatics program is the close relationship of bioinformatics and clinical informatics making Stanford a leader in the biomedicine information revolution. For more information see the Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research.

Clinical Research and Education Programs

The Department is actively involved in methods to enhance and apply the skills of clinical research. Two initiatives are designed to train fellows in clinical research methods, a training curriculum in Clinical Investigation, and a web-based program for a more broad based approach to clinical investigation.

Genomics and Proteomics

Stanford has developed cDNA microarray technology for several tens of thousands of human genes in diseased tissues. Statistical methods have been applied that can cluster genes according to their patterns of gene expression in a set of cell lines and/or tumors. Since much of the clinically important variation among cancers is dictated by corresponding variation in the genetic programs of the tumor cells, we expect to uncover differences in gene expression patterns that will correlate with differences in tumor biology.