Expanding bioinformatics: Toward a paradigm shift from data to theory

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary, fast-developing, and broad-ranging field, coevolving with and empowered by advanced technologies across multiple related disciplines. Given the ever-growing volume of biological data generated at multiple levels and scales, bioinformatics represents a holistic approach to decipher the complexity of biological systems and thus holds significant potential to realize a paradigm shift by transforming data to theory. Here I articulate a vision of expanding bioinformatics from data to theory that paves the way for the paradigm shift in biology, which can consolidate fragmented research findings within a theoretical framework, drive theory-guided AI modelling and experimentation with enhanced explainability and reduced parameter space, drive biological research from a holistic perspective, and further strengthen the identity and coherence of bioinformatics as a discipline.