The Bioinformatics and Analytics Core is part of the service core group within MU's Division of Research, Innovation & Impact. We serve as a centralized resource for providing expert bioinformatics, analytical and data science consulting and analysis solutions for the UM System as well as public and private industry partners. The core offers services to investigators within and outside MU on grant-funded and fee-for-service projects for the management and analysis of large-scale biological datasets produced in a variety of ways. The BAC is located in suite 106 of the Bond Life Sciences Center.
Mission
The mission of the BAC is to advance translational science by providing informatics and data science support services, developing innovative tools and leveraging high performance computing resources for the University of Missouri (UM) system campuses and their researchers. Our team supports investigators by helping them take advantage of modern research methods across all sectors of the life sciences by analyzing information-rich, large-scale datasets.
Additionally, we provide training in informatics and data science in order to help develop a future skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of industry. BAC works to accomplish its mission in three primary ways: 1.) providing analytical support for research, 2.) developing a unified informatics research information systems infrastructure for the UM system and 3.) providing outreach and training.
Data Management for Informatics
An important part of what we do is facilitate the use of high-performance computing hardware to analyze biological data. Biologists have become adept at generating “Big Data” scale projects, but only a few have the expertise to manage and analyze their data directly. Bioinformatics and Analytics plays a key role in the management of data throughout the life of a project.
Computational Resources
At the University of Missouri, there are several options for accessing high-performance computing resources. The most significant resource is the Lewis Cluster, which is managed by the Research Computing Support Services (RCSS) group. BAC works very closely with RCSS to provide the computing power and flexibility needed to meet the demands of researchers conducting informatics related research across the UM system. Additionally, BAC manages a smaller development server where staff can work on developing customized tools and pipelines to support the unique challenges than can arise in cutting edge research.