The Asia-Pacific regional perspective on bioinformatics

The Asia-Pacific region spans the Asian and Australasian continents as well as the Pacific-rim countries. As such, the seeds of bioinformatics in this region have been sown as early as 1989 in India, followed by Japan and Australia in 1991. While bioinformatics research, service, and education have reached laudable heights in these countries as well as in Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Russia, several other countries (Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines to name three) are making considerable progress. Following the success story of Japan, the status of bioinformatics in the Asia-Pacific region is presented.