Jaak Vilo:
Data analysis greatly influences the understanding of biology and health care in general Health science and data analysis are becoming increasingly more intertwined. Jaak Vilo is a Professor of Bioinformatics and his research teams help compile and analyse biological data and health data, which will help humanity in several aspects.
W
e are living in an age where data collection is constantly getting faster, where the abundance of information gives us significant advantages to help combat serious diseases and make important decisions. Therefore, bioinformatics has developed into a powerful weapon with which we can combat the coronavirus by both understanding the virus as well as developing vaccines and also developing epidemiological computations. Data researchers are a necessity in any field and company that wants to be both competitive and successful
16
in the future. Jaak Vilo is pleased to note that Tartu University’s recent data science Master’s programme has grown to admit 75 students per year. This inspires hope that ten years from now we will have between 500 and 600 more capable data researchers. They are needed in various companies in the commerce sector, in manufacturing, in banking, in the pharmaceutical industry and in other fields. “Biology as a whole has changed because of large-scale data analysis,” says Vilo. “Similar analysis methods are also applicable in other fields where the volume of data has increased rapidly.”
As a result of bioinformatics, a collection of medical data is created that helps researchers make important conclusions and decisions. Professor Vilo cites his first example from the work of his own research team. Large-scale data analysis allows us to decide which medication and which dose is best suitable for a specific patient. Every once in a while, doctors will prescribe medication to a patient that is actually unsuitable for them. This happens because our genetics play a crucial role in administering medicinal products. It may seem counter-intuitive, but in order to make a decision for an individual, it is often necessary to first analyse data from hundreds of millions of people. Therefore, data only from Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Finnish researchers is not enough. Researchers all over the globe must work together. Jaak Vilo’s research team is actively involved in this type of international collaboration in both the biological Estonian Centre of Excellence in ICT Research
