The backgrounds,definitions and current conditions of XML and metadata are provided,and then the characters of application of these techniques to biomedical data is provided in detail.

• 在分别介绍了可扩展标记语言(XML)与元数据的背景、定义和发展现状的基础上,分别对它们在生物医学领域的应用进行了综述,并总结了其应用特点。