Bioinformatics is a specialist discipline straddling the fields of biology, mathematics and computer science and is integral to modern biological research. Set up in 1996 by Winston Hide, a South African computational biologist who returned from the USA, the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) is situated at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town.
Its primary focus is the development and implementation of computational methodologies which allow researchers to accelerate their genomics data analyses. SANBI aims to heighten awareness of bioinformatics in South Africa and to assist the country in making optimal use of this technology.
As the leading bioinformatics entity in Africa, SANBI continues to foster local and regional collaborations on health-related topics that cover both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
