We got a nice email today from Alan, who wanted to share a data science story he recently read in Science Daily.
When you’re doing genetic research, it’s really (really) hard to assemble certain kinds of chromosomes. You need these chromosomes to do all kinds of important research and tests. Frustrated by this problem, genetic scientists have teamed up with data scientists to produce some exciting results.
Researchers from UC Davis, the University of Illinois and other universities collaborated to build an algorithm called RACA (reference-assisted chromosome assembly) that uses known chromosome and sequencing data to create “virtual chromosomes.” This is great news for medical researchers doing large-scale sequencing projects. By using data science to model and simulate chromosomes you can more quickly and cost effectively do research that is otherwise a lot harder to accomplish. As a result, the world is one baby step closer to new discoveries and exciting medical breakthroughs that benefit us all.
Thanks for sharing Alan! Full article here.