Cancer Data Science Pulse

CBIIT Director Dr. Tony Kerlavage loves data. He also loves to solve puzzles. In this blog, Dr. Kerlavage describes how advances in data and technology are helping us find solutions to some of today’s most pressing cancer-related questions. According to Dr. Kerlavage, there’s no problem too hard to solve and no question that we shouldn’t bother asking.

We love how data science is changing the way we look at the world. In this latest blog, Drs. Kibbe and Almeida discuss why they love data and how scientific methods can help us better understand our natural world, our universe, and ourselves.

To the NCI Cancer Research Data Commons, cloud computing means three words: NCI Cloud Resources. These are real-world examples of making data accessible and available to all cancer researchers. Kicking off the first of a four-part blog series, the NCI Cloud Resources share their origin story and the problems that cloud computing could solve in cancer research.

Data have been the driving force behind a number of important scientific discoveries. In this latest blog, Dr. Jerry Li describes how data helped power technological advances to unravel the human genome. What’s the next big advance? According to Dr. Li, the blending of data and artificial intelligence is the fastest moving area of research and has the potential to once again revolutionize scientific discovery.

Love data? This latest blog continues our look at why data are important to cancer research. Here Emily Boja, Ph.D., Subhashini Jagu, Ph.D., and Eytan Ruppin, M.D., Ph.D., discuss why they love data.

The body’s microbiome has a profound effect on health and disease, including cancer. Read how the field of bioinformatics is helping define the microbiome’s composition and function, which could lead to new ways of treating cancer.

In recognizing the Power of Data and celebrating NCI’s 50th anniversary, we asked Dr. Ned Sharpless what data means to him and the field of cancer research. Read about his past experiences and where he thinks data will take cancer research in the future!

On May 24, CBIIT welcomed Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan as the new associate director for Informatics and Data Science. In this latest Q&A blog, Dr. Barnholtz-Sloan tells a little about herself, including what brought her to CBIIT, what keeps her centered, and what makes her most proud.

CBIIT’s May 19 Data Science Seminar Series speaker, Dr. Kristen Naegle, took the speed of computational biology, blended it with basic science know-how, and developed an algorithm that is proving to be remarkably effective in predicting kinase activity. Understanding kinases in oncology may help identify people who are more likely to respond (or not respond) to certain medications, further advancing precision medicine.

Dr. Charles Wang offers a sneak peek at his upcoming Data Science Seminar presentation, scheduled for April 7. His recent study provides guidance for choosing an appropriate scRNA-seq platform and software tool for a scRNA-seq study. Using these guidelines, scientists can select the workflow that will yield the most meaningful results.