From owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk  Mon Feb 24 22:52:49 2003
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From: "Richard Scott" <rtscott@forgetspamPacbell.net>
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Subject: Unsolved or Poorly Solved Computational Problems
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Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 22:51:49 GMT
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Greetings,

At work, I have been working on a high performance C++ library not based on
STL.  The applications area was not bioinformatics but I have recently
gotten interested in algorithmic development for chemical and biological
simulation, and sequence identification.  I have an engineering physics
background but very little knowledge of either biology or chemistry.

What are the major unsolved or poorly solved computational problems in
computational biology that could potentially lead to real improvements in
people's health and welfare?  I know this is a naive question but my
knowledge is rudimentary, and I don't know where to find a description of
the problems or the potential solutions.

I have been surfing the Web to find answers but some issues are unclear.
For example, is the sequencing problem solved to everyone's satisfaction?
What kinds of models and algorithmic approaches are being used for protein
folding?  What are the important (not just interesting) problems?

Richard Scott



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