Analyzing protein and DNA sequences has become a daily routine in most life-science laboratories. But today's scientists expect more from sequence-analysis software than just motif identification and sequence alignments. They want fully integrated workflows. They want to be able, for example, to run queries against several databases, design oligonucleotide primers based on the results, design a cloning experiment, and then order the primers – all using one seamless suite of programs.
Programs that do the basic groundwork, such as BLAST and other sequence-analysis algorithms, have just about reached their performance peak, according to Vivien Benazzi, director for bioinformatics R&D at Invitrogen in Carlsbad, Calif. As a result, software vendors are scrambling to provide added features to attract customers. Two trends currently dominate the market: open-access design to allow greater customization, and increased user friendliness (especially enhanced user interfaces that work seamlessly with other programs in the workflow).
These trends stem ...
