Even if the steps towards this task can be outlined, they are not easily accomplished. First, it is necessary to identify all the genes. Then, the structure and function of all the gene products are to be discovered. And finally the role of the gene product in a functional pathway and its role in the functioning of the organism have to be deciphered. The human genome alone is estimated to contain 3 billion base pairs coding for about 100,000 proteins.
Myriad species have comparable genome sizes.
Due to the complexity of this new paradigm in biology, i.e., understanding the organization, evolution and function of whole genomes rather than single genes, entirely new sets of tools and human resources will be necessary. My laboratory works in this interdisciplinary area of Bioinformatics. Bioinformatics characterizes the flow of information in living systems.