Computational Biochemistry Research at ETH Zuerich
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The CBRG
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The Computational Biochemistry Research Group (CBRG) is a research
group at the Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich (ETH) in
Switzerland, involving researchers from Organic Chemistry and Computer
Science. Its main research goal is the derivation of biological/genetic
information and theories through the analysis of genetic sequences.
Current Interests
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The CBRG is mainly interested in the following topics:
- Cross-matching of an entire DNA-database against itself to record
all significant homologies.
- The computation of a theoretical measure of evolution either for
homologous sequences, in which case we compute the distance from
divergence, or for sets of sequences, in which case we compute
phylogenetic (evolutionary) trees. In both cases we are interested
in modelling and computing evolutionary distances between homologous
sequences.
- The effective visual representation of evolutionary information.
- The search for genetic clocks, i.e. methods for estimating age of
divergences based on sequence information. The goal of this research
is to obtain timing information as reliable as possible. We have been
studying methods based on non-coding DNA and methods based on the
redundancy of the genetic code for this clock.
- The reconstruction of ancestral sequences through probabilistic models.
The main tool for our research is the DSF (DNA Searching Facility)
system. DSF is interactive, has a set of powerful primitive operations.
DSF currently runs on Sun-3, Sun-4/SPARC, DECstation 3100 and on MIPS
machines. The CBRG will distribute binaries of DSF via ftp free of charge.
If you are interested in our research we will gladly send you a hard-copy
of our research paper describing CBRG and its activities. We can be
reached through:
e-mail: reberhar at inf.ethz.ch
mail: ETH Zuerich
Institut fuer wissenschaftliches Rechnen
CRBG
CH-8092 Zuerich
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Rolf Eberhardt, Inst. fuer wissenschaftliches Rechnen, ETH Zuerich, Switzerland
e-mail: reberhar at inf.ethz.ch
