Bioinformatician at KI and CCE MTBP Developer
Q: Please introduce yourself.
Hello, I am a Bioinformatician turned Software developer at Karolinska Institutet working within the Translational Bioinformatics team led by David Tamborero, as part of the Lehtio Lab based in SciLifeLab (Solna), Sweden.
Q: How are you linked to Cancer Core Europe?
Much of my time is dedicated to enhancing the Molecular Tumor Board Portal (MTBP), a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) that leverages Precision Medicine and Bioinformatics to assist clinicians within CCE in making decisions for their patients.
My primary focus is on improving the fidelity of the MTBP report and integrating cBioportal in collaboration with The Hyve. However, in general, I work fluidly on addressing the specific needs of the MTBP.
Q: Could you please describe what the MTBP and cBIOPORTAL are? And how are they connected?
The MTBP is a CDSS that analyzes a patient’s molecular profiles to summarize therapeutic options that would be beneficial at an N=1 (prospective) level. This information informs clinicians about potential actionable routes based on cutting-edge medical research.
Our instance of cBioportal complements the MTBP report, enabling clinicians to examine patient molecular data at a cohort N=n (retrospective) level in various groupings.
Together, the MTBP and cBioportal can synergistically serve as a learning tool, facilitating both prospective and retrospective investigations of patient molecular data.
Q: In your perspective, how are data analysis and bioinformatics relevant for advancing cancer research?
Cancer is inherently an immensely complex and convoluted disease which begets novel biological systems upon itself. This makes it an exceedingly challenging condition to combat, especially given its adaptive ability. Fortunately, incredible scientific methods have been developed to help parse the molecular data. Consequently, the application of data analysis techniques has become necessary to strategically navigate the vast amount of data generated by these methods. Additionally, bioinformatics is crucial for intelligently interpreting the data using state-of-the-art knowledge.
It is important to recognize that the biomedical aspect is just one facet of the challenge. Ultimately, individuals affected by cancer are faced with the formidable task of living with it. Therefore, a truly advanced cancer research program should adopt a holistic approach.
