Software module for the characterisation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease

Abstract

Bioinformatics is the combination of biology and information technology. It is the branch of science that deals with the computer-based analysis of large biological data sets. Bioinformatics incorporates the development of databases to store and search data, and of statistical tools and algorithms to analyse and determine relationships between biological data sets. In this paper we have studied in detail about rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease to develop a software tool for the analysis of the biological data of rheumatoid arthritis. The software tool is developed using Java programming language and using the BioJava Application Programming Interfaces. The application is accessed through a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows selection of sequences to align and to analyse. The developed tool performs the pair wise alignment and analysis by calculating the mutability score. The obtained results from the developed tool can be used for the characterisation of the disease and the results may assist the doctors for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease. © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.