Bioinformatics is a discipline born of the need to introduce order into massive datasets produced by new technologies of molecular biology: large-scale DNA sequencing, measurements of RNA concentrations in multiple gene expression arrays and new profiling techniques in proteomics. This volume presents mathematical models in bioinformatics along with descriptions of inspiring biological problems and computer science tools necessary to cope with data. The material covered includes widely used applications in genomics and proteomics and later-generation techniques, which attempts at linking genetic information with structure and function of molecules, metabolic processes and whole cells. Each chapter concludes with a problems and projects section, to deepen the reader's understanding and to allow for the design of derived methods. Many of the projects involve publicly available software and/or Web-based bioinformatics depositories.