  The Virtual Institute for Integrative Biology (VIIB) is a Latin American
initiative for achieving global collaborative e-Science in the areas of
bioinformatics, genome biology, systems biology, metagenomics, medical
applications and nanobiotechnolgy. The scientific agenda of VIIB includes:
construction of databases for comparative genomics, the AlterORF database for
alternate open reading frames discovery in genomes, bioinformatics services and
protein simulations for biotechnological and medical applications. Human
resource development has been promoted through co-sponsored students and shared
teaching and seminars via video conferencing. E-Science challenges include:
interoperability and connectivity concerns, high performance computing
limitations, and the development of customized computational frameworks and
flexible workflows to efficiently exploit shared resources without causing
impediments to the user. Outreach programs include training workshops and
classes for high school teachers and students and the new Adopt-a-Gene
initiative. The VIIB has proved an effective way for small teams to transcend
the critical mass problem, to overcome geographic limitations, to harness the
power of large scale, collaborative science and improve the visibility of Latin
American science It may provide a useful paradigm for developing further
e-Science initiatives in Latin America and other emerging regions.
