Hosted by the Interactive AI Centre for Doctoral Training and the Intelligent Systems Lab
Contact iai-cdt@bristol.ac.uk if you would like lunch, served between 13.30-14.00
Abstract:
Cancer is a dynamic and complex ecosystem, where cancer cells interact with non-cancerous cells within the tumour microenvironment. Additionally, cancers exhibit functional and structural diversity across different patients, which significantly influences tumour progression and responses to therapy. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms driving these complex biological systems is essential for identifying potential therapeutic targets.
Advancements in various ‘omics’ technologies—such as transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics—have revolutionized our understanding of the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms in cancers. In recent years, single-cell RNA sequencing has enabled us to delve into the transcriptomes of individual cells, revealing cell subpopulations within specific tissues. Furthermore, spatial transcriptomics sequencing techniques have rapidly emerged, enabling precise quantification and visualization of gene expression patterns within the spatial context of tissues. While each of these technologies alone may not fully capture the complexity of cancer, together they offer unique opportunities to decipher the intricate biology of its complex ecosystem.
In this seminar, we will explore how Bioinformatics and Genomics are being applied to identify new classes of cancer therapeutics, with a particular focus on how Artificial Intelligence can be used to decipher complex biological systems and identify potential therapeutic targets.