Progress and Opportunities of Foundation Models in Bioinformatics
Qing Li Zhihang Hu Yixuan Wang Lei Li Yimin Fan Irwin King Le Song Yu Li
Bioinformatics has witnessed a paradigm shift with the increasing integration
of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly through the adoption of
foundation models (FMs). These AI techniques have rapidly advanced, addressing
historical challenges in bioinformatics such as the scarcity of annotated data
and the presence of data noise. FMs are particularly adept at handling
large-scale, unlabeled data, a common scenario in biological contexts due to
the time-consuming and costly nature of experimentally determining labeled
data. This characteristic has allowed FMs to excel and achieve notable results
in various downstream validation tasks, demonstrating their ability to
represent diverse biological entities effectively. Undoubtedly, FMs have
ushered in a new era in computational biology, especially in the realm of deep
learning. The primary goal of this survey is to conduct a systematic
investigation and summary of FMs in bioinformatics, tracing their evolution,
current research status, and the methodologies employed. Central to our focus
is the application of FMs to specific biological problems, aiming to guide the
research community in choosing appropriate FMs for their research needs. We
delve into the specifics of the problem at hand including sequence analysis,
structure prediction, function annotation, and multimodal integration,
comparing the structures and advancements against traditional methods.
Furthermore, the review analyses challenges and limitations faced by FMs in
biology, such as data noise, model explainability, and potential biases.
Finally, we outline potential development paths and strategies for FMs in
future biological research, setting the stage for continued innovation and
application in this rapidly evolving field. This comprehensive review serves
not only as an academic resource but also as a roadmap for future explorations
and applications of FMs in biology.