The discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA is a landmark event which belongs to the past century, but with great influence, in this century, on the research activity on genetic and genomic sciences, due also to the completion of a high quality comprehensive sequence of the human genome which has achieved. Indeed we may talk, as observed in [1], about the genome era.
The above scientific environment has given a great impulse to the interactions between computer sciences, mathematics and biology. Indeed, the scientific community is becoming increasingly aware that the great revolution of this century is going to be the mathematical formalization of phenomena occurring in the life sciences, like the revolution of the past two centuries was the development of the above approach in the physical sciences. This essentially means that the heuristic experimental approach, which is the traditional investigative method in biology, should be complemented by the rigorous approach which is typical of mathematical sciences.
The research activity in the field can take advantage of several, high quality sources: the development of genome analysis technologies, the physical and genetic mapping of genomes, and the sequencing of model organism genomes, and ultimately the human genome. These sources can be elaborated by means of advanced technological devices such as microarrays, imaging at the microscopic scale, computer devices for large data analysis, and so on. The analysis may be addressed towards computational biology, medicine-health sciences, as well as to social organizations.
In more detail, it is possible to figure out the paths that scientists will go along in the near future. The already cited paper [1], appearing on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, provides a deep perspective description of the future of genomic research. Some great challenges have a direct impact on computer sciences and mathematics. Among others: identifying the structural and functional components encoded in the human genome, elucidating the organization of the genetic networks and protein pathways, and developing robust strategies for identifying the genetic contribution to disease and drug response.
In addition, the scientific community has reached the detailed idea that future education, not only of researchers, should be addressed to developing an interdisciplinary ability to handle scientific and technological problems. It is being increasingly recognized that research at the interface between the life sciences and mathematics/computation is crucial if we are to fully benefit from the spectacular recent advances in biotechnology. The impact of genetics on society requires us to enlarge the above mental and technical attitude also out of the strict environment of research.
From the above reasoning two specific questions may be posed: