A vast amount of biological information about a wide range of species has become available in recent years as technological advances have significantly reduced the time it takes to sequence a genome or determine a novel protein structure. This text describes how bioinformatics can be used as a powerful set of tools for retrieving and analysing this biological data, and how bioinformatics can be applied to a wide range of disciplines such as molecular biology, medicine, biotechnology, forensic science and anthropology. Fully revised and updated, the fourth edition of Introduction to Bioinformatics contains two new chapters, with significantly increased coverage of metabolic pathways, and gene expression and regulation. This reflects the recent growth of interest in these areas in the field of bioinformatics. Written primarily for a biological audience without a detailed prior knowledge of programming, this book is the perfect introduction to the field of bioinformatics, providing friendly guidance and advice on how to use various methods and techniques. Furthermore, frequent examples, self-test questions, problems, and exercises are incorporated throughout the text to encourage self-directed learning. Online resource centre The Online Resource Centre features the following materials: For lecturers (password protected): *Figures and tables from the book available to download For students: *'Weblems' - web related problems tied to particular sections of the book *Data from the book in computer-readable form *Guidance to help students answer problems from the text, and answers to end of chapter exercises

Review from previous edition An essential textbook for undergraduate students who are interested in a comprehensive introduction to the multidisciplinary field of bioinformatics. * Jean-Christophe Nebel, Kingston University *
I'm impressed with the breadth AND depth achieved in what is a reasonably compact text. There are lots of quite innovative features which support the pedagogical delivery of the material. * Richard Badge, University of Leicester *
A very good introductory textbook in bioinformatics. It is well-structured and nicely laid out. There are numerous examples and problems attached to each chapter, including the novel Weblems. * Karen Page, University College London *

Arthur M. Lesk is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University, USA.