visualization and 3-D printing in biological data mining

Biological Data Mining presents comprehensive data mining concepts, theories, and applications in current biological and medical research. A potential disadvantage of data mining is volume and complexity of the results that can often be overwhelming. The construction of physical three-dimensional (3D) models of biomolecules can uniquely contribute to the study of the structure-function relationship. Converting digital 3D molecular data into real objects enables information to be perceived through an expanded range of human senses, including direct stereoscopic vision, touch, and interaction. Such tangible models facilitate new insights, enable hypothesis testing, and serve as psychological or sensory anchors for conceptual information about the functions of biomolecules. It is suggested that visualization methods, more specifically 3-D printing, can greatly enhance the ability to make sense of data mining results. We provide here a brief review of visualization methods and 3-D printing to illustrate how it might be used in a research setting.

Keywords:

Biological data mining , 3D printing , biomolecules , models