Bioinformatics allows us to analyze huge amounts of data. It speeds up diagnostics. It pushes vaccine development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, bioinformatics technologies reduced the time it took to develop a vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine was created in 42 days. In the first three months of the pandemic, more than 100.000 viral genomes were decoded. This was an important step in developing global solutions.
Bioinformatics is used to analyze genomes. It helps to identify mutations. Identify dangerous strains. The SARS-CoV-2 genome was decoded in 10 days. Decoding the genome accelerated the creation of test systems. It also helped to identify new variants of the virus. In 2024, more than 2.000 virus mutations were recorded in Europe. Bioinformatics allows us to track their spread. In 2024, bioinformatics data helped to detect a virus strain resistant to existing drugs. This prevented mass infection.
Bioinformatics methods speed up drug development. Algorithms find potential targets for therapy. It used to take months to analyze a single compound. Today, it takes days. An example is the Moderna vaccine. It was developed in 63 days. In 2023, three new vaccines were created in Europe using bioinformatics. In Italy, a platform was introduced that reduced the cost of data analysis by 30%. This made the process accessible to medical institutions.
Bioinformatics helps predict epidemics. It analyzes data on the spread of infections. This includes information on weather and human migration. Algorithms predicted the Ebola outbreak in Africa. In Europe, algorithms helped reduce the incidence of influenza by 15%. Technologies also help model epidemic scenarios.
In 2022, bioinformatics helped in the fight against monkeypox. Algorithms identified dangerous strains in a few days. This allowed test systems to be quickly created. In Germany, 10 new tests based on bioinformatics were developed. As a result, the outbreak was localized in 2 months. In the UK, a bioinformatics system helped reduce the time to diagnose infections by 50%.