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Bioinformatics, a discipline that combines aspects of biology, statistics, mathematics, and computer science, is becoming increasingly important for biological research. However, bioinformatics instruction is not yet generally integrated into undergraduate life sciences curricula. To understand why we studied how bioinformatics is being included in biology education in the US by conducting a nationwide survey of faculty at two- and four-year institutions. The survey asked several open-ended questions that probed barriers to integration, the answers to which were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach. The barrier most frequently reported by the 1,260 respondents was lack of faculty expertise/training, but other deterrents-lack of student interest, overly-full curricula, and lack of student preparation-were also common. Interestingly, the barriers faculty face depended strongly on whether they are members of an underrepresented group and on the Carnegie Classification of their home institution. We were surprised to discover that the cohort of faculty who were awarded their terminal degree most recently reported the most preparation in bioinformatics but teach it at the lowest rate., Competing Interests: We declare that author TMS has an affiliation with a private company, Digital World Biology (DWB). As noted in the Funding Statement, DWB provided support for this work in the form of salary for TMS. This affiliation does not alter our adherence to PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for engaging computational alternatives to traditional laboratory exercises. Here we introduce a customizable and flexible workflow, designed with the SARS CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in mind, as a means of reinforcing fundamental biology concepts using bioinformatics approaches. This workflow is accessible to a wide range of students in life science majors regardless of their prior bioinformatics knowledge, and all software is freely available, thus eliminating potential cost barriers. Using the workflow can thus provide a diverse group of students the opportunity to conduct inquiry-driven research. Here we demonstrate the utility of this workflow and outline the logical steps involved in the identification of therapeutic or vaccine targets against SARS CoV-2. We also provide an example of how the workflow may be adapted to other infectious microbes. Overall, our workflow anchors student understanding of viral biology and genomics and allows students to develop valuable bioinformatics expertise as well as to hone critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while also creating an opportunity to better understand emerging information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this paper, we describe a system dynamics model that views cancer as a dysfunction of the cellular system rather than as an ailment of cells. Our experiments with the model replicate the propagation of the ailment and the impacts of the treatments. It presents a concept that deviates from the pervasive view of cancer as a cell malfunction that has led to treatments aiming to destroy the rogue cells. It points to more holistic treatment options aiming at reforming cell interaction so the system can contain the growth of cancer cells. Further research is needed to explore the details for such options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]