"Mathematica is superb for all my serious math needs. I have used it as a modeling tool for many years."

Genetic Research Moves Ahead

DNA researchers in medical, life science, and pharmaceutical labs worldwide rely on systems from Perkin-Elmer Corporation to study DNA sequences. The gene sequences they discover may be the key to understanding why certain plants are able to resist certain diseases, and why animals and humans may be susceptible to cancer. Mathematica, in turn, is the system that Perkin-Elmer developer Jim Bowlby relies on to keep the company's Applied Biosystems Division's genetic analysis equipment on the cutting edge.

Bowlby's current focus is on improving the performance of the ABI PRISM 377 DNA Sequencer and the ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer, both instruments that analyze multicolor fluorescent signals to identify gene sequences. The challenge lies in developing and implementing effective signal processing algorithms.

"Research used to be laboratory intensive," says Bowlby. "Now research in physics, chemistry, and biochemistry is steadily moving out of the laboratory and onto the desktop, where efficient simulations and analysis require the evolution of new algorithms. However, the success rate of new ideas remains the same: only one out of twenty has clear potential, and only a few of these make it into products. I use Mathematica to quickly screen ideas that will not work and to demonstrate those that will. Therefore, speed of development is more important to me than speed of execution."

Key features of Mathematica used:

• Numeric--Fourier transforms, integration, differentiation
• Symbolic
• Graphic
• Programming
• Notebook