Microsoft Biology Foundation 2.0 Beta 1 Release and Coding Contest

I am pleased to announce the release of Microsoft Biology Foundation (MBF) 2.0 beta 1, an open-source Microsoft .NET library and application programming interface for bioinformatics research. This beta provides the first significant update since MBF 1.0. Notable improvements include:

Increased capacity for de novo assembly of larger and more complex species than V1
New comparative assembly functions for characteristic genetic diversity within or between species
Core object model improvements for a smaller memory footprint and increased parallel processing

MBF 2.0 beta 1 has parity with all MBF 1.0 tools and features plus updated documentation.

Your feedback on MBF 1.0 was extremely supportive and is helping us develop MBF 2.0. We are asking you once again to download the beta and send us your feedback. Just download and try the MBF 2.0 beta 1. Send us your feedback or report bugs through our discussion forum or issue tracker.

To make it a little more interesting, we're giving away an Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect bundle to one talented developer in our Microsoft Biology Foundation Coding Contest.

To Enter the Contest

Visit the MBF Coding Contest site and read the complete rules.
Use our MBF object model, parsers, algorithms, and web connectors to build an application that helps researchers solve problems in the fields of bioinformatics and genomics.
Submit your MBF 2.0 beta 1-based application to us between today and July 15, 2011, and you’ll be entered to win!

The winning entry will be selected by a panel of judges.

Learn More