Top 10 Stories Of 2018: Data Science, Five Use Cases For AI And Machine Learning, And More
January 2, 2019 | It’s been a big year for the biotech industry. Developments in next generation sequencing, AI and machine learning, and data science have led to a fantastic year of product announcements, recognition for best practices, and thoughtful discussions. As we head into 2019, we at Bio-IT World would like to take a moment and reflect on the groundbreaking achievements from this past year. In that spirit, here are the top 10 stories of 2018, ranked in order of popularity.
--The Editors
1. Looking Forward: How Data Science Shapes Future Work
At the 2018 Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, we dedicated a plenary session to a panel discussion on data science. Wanting to offer the conversation to our community, we asked Gaurav Kaushik, Associate Director, Data Products & Strategy at Foundation Medicine for his definition of “data science.” Read more
2. Five Use Cases For AI and Machine Learning In Commercial Pharma
Over the last decade, early business uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI), or machine learning, in life sciences have proven successful in drug discovery – predicting molecule-target bonding, identifying new biomarkers, and uncovering new drug indications. Now machine learning is gaining broader traction into other areas, including commercial operations, and transforming the way the industry collects, synthesizes, and uses data. Read more
3. Illumina Announces iSeq 100, Thermo Fisher Partnership
In the company’s JP Morgan presentation today, Illumina president and CEO Francis deSouza summarized the past year for the sequencing giant, highlighted expected areas of growth—consumer genomics, non-invasive prenatal testing—and announced the launch of the iSeq 100 Sequencing System and library prep partnership with Thermo Fisher. Read more
4. Bio-IT World Announces 2018 Best Practices Awards Winners
Bio-IT World announced the winners of the 2018 Best Practices Awards at the Bio-IT World Conference and Expo. Entries from Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Celgene, and Massachusetts General Hospital were honored. Read more
5. Howard Jacob Leaving HudsonAlpha For AbbVie
Less than three years after leaving the Medical College of Wisconsin for the HudsonAlpha Institute in Huntsville, Alabama, Howard Jacob is starting today as the Vice President of the Genomic Research Center at AbbVie. Read more
6. Platypus: Deep Data Dives For Clinical Data Reviewer
If you are creating a tool designed to give a sixth sense, of course you name it after a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia. Not unlike the animal, Takeda’s Platypus is made up of various parts, specifically designed to meet the medical reviewer’s needs. Read more
7. 23andMe CEO Goes Beyond “Wall Of A White Coat”
Speaking at the 36th annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, 23andMe’s CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki reflected on the scope of the 23andMe’s dataset, especially as it pertains to healthcare and drug discovery. Read more
8. Bio-IT World Announces 2018 Best Of Show Award Winners
Bio-IT World announced the 2018 winners of the Best of Show Awards Program to a packed audience at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo. OnRamp, PetaGene, Nanome, The Hyve, Diploid, Sinequa, and Linguamatics were recognized. Read more
9. Flu Déjà Vu
A century after influenza terrorized the planet, a harsh flu season and the looming threat of another pandemic is helping spur efforts toward a more powerful “universal” vaccine. Read more
10. Oxford Nanopore MinION Used To Produce Most Complete Human Genome
A paper published in Nature Biotechnology, reports Oxford Nanopore sequencing resulting in the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology. Read more