Bioinformatics Second Act

As the field matures new opportunities present themselves.

Bioninformatics has been around for more than twenty years, an increasingly mature technology. High-performance computing and throughput hardware have enabled novel drug development, nutrition analytics, and cancer therapies. Large-volume data processing from multiple sources is creating new possibilities in testing and modeling. Bioninformatics is birthing new fields of study and modalities of treatment; personalized immunotherapy, proteinomics, a revolution in cancer care just for starters. But what is next for Bioninformatics as the technology matures? Here's a peek from a Bioinformatics expert. Carl-Johan Ivarsson is the CEO of Qlucore which produces visualization-based bioinformatics data analysis tools for research and precision diagnostics. Q: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in bioinformatics, and how can they prepare themselves for the field? A: At Qlucore we combine expertise from many fields such as mathematics, bioinformatics and software engineering. My advice, for what it is worth, would be to learn the basic principles of mathematics and statistics well. That will enable you to understand many methods and evolve with the field. Q: Can you highlight some of the projects Qlucore has been involved in. What kinds of research is it making possible? A: At Qlucore we are working within two segments. Software for data analysis (Qlucore Omics Explorer) and software for precision diagnostics (Qlucore Insights). For the first segment we deliver software solutions to customers in 25 countries who have written more than 1000 articles in peer-review journals using our solutions. In short it spans all type of omics data. For the second segment we develop AI- based machine learning classifiers for subtyping of cancer based on gene expression signatures. We currently work with Leukemia, Non small cell lung cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer. Q: What exciting developments do you see over the next five years in bioinformatics? A: I think we will see a lot of multi-omics analysis and of course AI.