| Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance?
The GPBA is a consortium of regional academic and research organizations dedicated to advancing life sciences, improving healthcare, and creating a highly-skilled workforce.
What is Bioinformatics?
Bioinformatics is the use of computational tools and databases to manage, analyze, and visualize the wealth of information generated in molecular and cellular biology, genomics, proteomics, and other areas of biology and clinical medicine. Most broadly applied, bioinformatics expands the capabilities of basic biomedical research, accelerates drug discovery and development, and improves clinical outcomes.
What are the goals of the GPBA?
- Establishing a region of excellence that advances integrated and computational biology
- Promoting efforts that meld a vast amount 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 collaborative relationships between academia and industry
- Advocating for increased awareness and public/private support
How and when was the GPBA founded? The formation of the Alliance began in 2002 with an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania to create a regional inter-institutional “center of excellence” in bioinformatics and systems biology. The effort was well received both by the regional universities and biomedical institutions—as well as by BioAdvance, which provided initial funding to support the growth of the Alliance.
Who are the GPBA’s founding members?
The Alliance grew through the leadership and support of the following organizations: BioAdvance, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, PennState Great Valley, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, UPenn, University of the Sciences Philadelphia, The Wistar Institute
How is the GPBA helping the community?
The Alliance contributes to the strength of the regional community by:
- Supporting efforts to develop cutting-edge solutions to medical challenges through the application of biomedical informatics and systems biology
- Maximizing the economic potential of the growing field of bioinformatics through focused workforce development
- Working to ensure the viability and growth of the region’s critical economic base in life sciences and healthcare
What are the criteria for applying for an internship?
Click here for internship eligibility criteria
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