The new fields of genomics and bioinformatics hold great promise for the field of medicine.
Genomics leads to novel diagnostic methods for both inherited and infectious disease.
Bioinformatics will lead to novel methods for therapy including identification of drug targets, rational drug design and genetic therapies. They also pose interesting issues for medical informatics because much of the uncertainty in the diagnosis can be represented analytically rather than as empirically measured values. In this colloquium I will review molecular diagnostic methods as practised in the Stanford Medical School today and its affects on biomedical research. This will include work in the laboratories of Pat Brown, Gary Schoolnik, David Relman, and Peter Small. I will also discuss bioinformatics approaches to identifying drug targets and rational drug design and will discuss work in several other groups.