Itinerant exhibition

Bioinformatics and Geneva: celebrating an anniversary

As part of our 10th anniversary, the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics designed an outdoor exhibition which takes you for a walk along the human genome. The exhibition took place in Geneva’s botanical gardens during the month of September and was then exhibited in ‘Place de Milan’, Lausanne, from the 6th to the 19th of October. Twenty three panels describe the minute worlds of chromosomes, genes and proteins and the ever-growing one of bioinformatics. Though the exhibition is really aimed at teenagers and adults a special space is reserved on each panel for young children who will also be given the chance to discover the complexity of this invisible universe.

Chromosomes: X for girls and Y for boys

Visitors will begin by discovering a first chromosome which will lead them to the next. In this way, they will complete a tour of the human genome. In all, visitors are invited to discover our twenty three chromosomes: twenty two of which our cells own two copies – one from our mother and the other from our father – as well as X and Y, our sex chromosomes.

DNA: our cookbook

What is DNA for? DNA is like a very large cookbook made up of 23 volumes, where each volume would represent a chromosome. Each volume has a certain number of recipes, otherwise known as ‘genes’. So, as you stroll around the genome, you will become acquainted with a few of these recipes, or genes, some of which are responsible for the colour of our eyes, for instance, but may also be responsible for states of ill-health such as cystic fibrosis, cancer or anemia.

Proteins: our workforce

Though genes are at the heart of what we are, they are not the ones who carry out the work. Those who sweat are the proteins. Proteins are the products of genes, and without them we wouldn’t be able to walk, think or sleep. Visitors will be introduced to their universe and will discover their fascinating 3D structures or their primordial role in maintaining life thanks to the part they play in the beat of a heart for example. They will also read about their other less fortunate roles in challenging life, when they are involved in illnesses.

The other dimension

Without Bioinformatics, our knowledge of the world of genes and proteins would be far poorer. Informatics applied to biology is one of the many instruments used to understand what life is…and is not. This relatively recent science is now a widespread and precious tool which is used not only in many fields of research but also in applied strategies such as drug design for diseases such as AIDS, cancer and diabetes. So take a walk along the genome. Discover what chromosomes are. Become acquainted with your genes and your proteins. And get a better understanding of what life really means.