About The Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance

Our Mission

To realize our region's potential for improving healthcare and advancing life sciences through the application of bioinformatics and computational biology.

The Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance�a consortium of regional research and academic organizations�is dedicated to advancing life sciences, improving healthcare, and creating a highly-skilled workforce. Our multi-organization consortium is committed to providing significant value to the public, industry, and the scientific community. We will do this by:

• Promoting collaborative efforts that meld vast amounts of biomedical data with cutting-edge computational tools to create a knowledge engine for bioinformatics research and development.
• Creating opportunities for continuing education and workforce development in bioinformatics-related fields
• Forging connections between academia and industry by providing shared learning and communication experiences.
• Advocating for increased awareness and public/private support of the life sciences industry; specifically bioinformatics and integrative computational biology.

Through achieving these objectives, we will leverage our valuable life sciences resources into improved healthcare and ensure the viability and growth of the region's critical economic base in the life sciences and healthcare industries.

History of the Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance

The Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance (GPBA) began in early 2002, when a group of regional leaders came together with the goal of creating a multi-institutional �center of excellence� in bioinformatics. The effort was well received both by the regional universities and biomedical institutions. BioAdvance, the Biotechnology Greenhouse of Southeastern Pennsylvania, agreed to provide initial funding and development support to grow the Alliance .

During and throughout 2003, Alliance membership grew to include ten regional stakeholders as our �founding partners�. Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania donated the time of two co-directors to implement many of the organization's initiatives. Through the course of the first year, the co-directors developed GPBA educational programs ranging from Philadelphia 's first bioinformatics retreat to seminars featuring the renowned computational biology icons, Russ Altman and Pavel Pevzner.

The Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance continues to evolve into a networked, self-sustaining organization with increasing opportunities for bioinformatics education, collaborative research efforts, workforce development, and public outreach. The Alliance is currently defining a forward-leaning strategy to ensure Greater Philadelphia becomes a Region of Excellence in Bioinformatics. Stay tuned for further exciting developments!