The Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia, has recently became a member of the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet). The First International Conference on Bioinformatics in Genome Regulation and Structure in Novosibirsk, 1998 will be a co-event with the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet). Among the participants of the Conference are also many APBioNet members.
The coordinator of the joint activities of The Institute of Cytology and Genetics and APBioNet is Dr. Anatoly Frolov fas@bionet.nsc.ru
Theme
Contribution of the Asia-Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBionet) into Genome Regulation and Structure investigaions
At the Jan 98 PSB Symposium in Hawaii, several founding member countries came together and endorsed a charter creating an Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBionet) for fostering more scientific interaction in bioinformatics around the Pacific Rim. The mission of the organization is amongst other things is to
- (a) promote bioinformatics scientifc research collaboration,
- (b) accelerate physical computer network connectivity,
- (c) set standards/formats for biodata exchange,
- (d) conduct bioinformatics training workshops and conferences.
The overall hope that this body will speak as a unified voice for AP regional bioinformatics has shown promise in that APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) has recently endorsed us as the official Bioinformatics forum for the region, approved our joint advanced networking project with the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) consortium.
Since the recent inception, more than a dozen other organisations in other AP Countries have expressed interest in joining the group and a number of training workshops and conferences have been conducted by members at the host country’s bioinformatics center.
A web-site and active email-news groups and periodic news updates have also been started.
- http://www.apbionet.org/ (official website)
- http://www-sg.apbionet.org/ (experimental Singapore node)
Given the promising progress to date, the need for representatives from APBionet member countries — old, new and those wishing to join — to gather again to discuss plans for taking the nascent group to a higher level of organized activity is clear. To this end, a special round table at the upcoming BGRS’98 Conference on August, 26 at the hotel “Golden Value” has been offered by the organizers according to recommendations of APBioNet president.
This is a call to all APBionet member country representatives and all other interested parties to come up to BGRS’98 and especially to the APBioNet round table to Novosibirsk, Russia in August 24-31. Welcome!!!