Bioinformatics as a driver, not a passenger, of translational biomedical research: Perspectives from the 6th Benelux bioinformatics conference

In a time full of possibilities and expectations for personalised medicine, bioinformatics represents more than a technological convergence point at the intersection of various research fields.Bioinformatics has become a bridge of integration. A continuous integration of information, insights and teams all over the planet. But it also catalyzes the translation of advances from the computing into the life sciences, and from there to the clinic, and back. Bioinformatics is gradually expanding its potential to improve the life of patients everywhere, through the transformation of fundamental discoveries into advanced approaches to preventing, detecting and treating disease [1,2].We met at The 6th BeNeLux Bioinformatics Conference (http://www.bbc11.lu webcite, 12 and 13 December 2011, Luxembourg) to review advances, reflect on challenges and celebrate the contributions of bioinformatics in a "post-genome" era. The conference attracted around 200 participants, including internationally-renowned guest speakers and more than 100 peer-reviewed abstract submissions from 3 continents.Our programme of guest and selected oral and poster presentations comprised a diverse range of biologically and clinically relevant questions, computing approaches and applications [3]. These sessions were driven also by a significant interest in discussing challenges and directions for enhancing the impact of bioinformatics in fundamental and translational biomedical research. These features were specially reflected in the presentations given by our guest speakers: Burkhard Rost (Technical University Munich, Germany), Thomas Lengauer (Max-Planck-Institut Informatik, Germany), Ioannis Xenarios (Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland), and Peter van der Spek (Erasmus Medical Center, The Netherlands).Presentations and discussions addressed applications of significant relevance to the detection and treatment of cancers, infectious, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. The meeting a