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Dear UBC,
As we reflect on the success of the 9th Annual UBC Symposium, we're happy to share the symposium's highlights and key updates. With more participants than ever, this year's edition was a testament to our community's vibrancy. A retrospective article capturing the symposium's essence is now available, chronicling some of the discussions, keynote speakers, and the Best Poster Prize awarded to a standout presentation.
In parallel, we're excited to announce the establishment of five Health AI Labs at UMC Utrecht. These labs signify a significant stride in integrating data science and AI into healthcare, research, and education. The Labs reinforce our commitment to advancing AI in health, both nationally and far beyond.
Furthermore, mark your calendars for the UBC Bioinformatics Debate on December 4, 2023. Led by distinguished panelists, including Dr. Wouter van Amsterdam, Dr. Christine Fox, and Prof. Sanne Abeln, the debate will explore the theme, "Is it time to embrace unrestricted use of generative AI tools in research?". Join us for an engaging session featuring panel discussions, audience polling, and a group discussion, offering a unique opportunity to share your insights.
We look forward to your participation in these developments, and keep you informed about further collaboration and innovation within the Utrecht bioinformatics community.
UBC Executive Board |
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Meet UBC Board member Kevin Kenna
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Earlier this year, the UBC board welcomed several new members, including neurogeneticist Kevin Kenna. In an interview on the UBC website, we sit down with Kevin, who sheds light on the crucial role of bioinformatics in his research field, as well as his research group’s approach. Reflecting on his research, he also unveils the pivotal role of data-driven approaches in understanding neurodegeneration, from decoding the genome to unravelling the complexities of single-cell transcriptomics.
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| Looking back on the 9th UBC Symposium |
The 9th Annual UBC Symposium concluded as a memorable gathering of the Utrecht bioinformatics community. Drawing an unprecedented 170 participants, the symposium offered a platform for knowledge exchange and discussions on the latest advancements in bioinformatics. This retrospective unfolds the highlights of the event, which featured keynotes and pitch talks, poster sessions, and of course plenty of opportunity to meet fellow researchers.
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Sebastiaan van Heesch appointed junior Oncode Investigator |
Oncode Institute welcomes Dr. Sebastiaan van Heesch, a distinguished group leader at Princess Máxima Center, as a junior Oncode investigator. Among ten new group leaders, Van Heesch explores the uncharted territory of micro-proteins, aiming to unravel their role in cancer development and potential applications in immunotherapy. This expansion brings Oncode's network to 62 groups across 13 institutions, reinforcing its commitment to accelerating cancer breakthroughs.
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Five AI Labs kick off at UMC Utrecht |
UMC Utrecht recently presented the start of five new Health AI Labs. The labs explore the potential opportunities of AI in areas such as preventive health care, diagnostics, treatment and mathematical modelling of disease. The labs will help UMC Utrecht reinforce its partnerships with Utrecht University and other stakeholders in the field of AI solutions. Also, the labs joined forces with the AI Labs platform at Utrecht University.
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Recent publications by UBC members |
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Ultra-fast deep-learned CNS tumor classification during surgery
Nature, 622, 842-849, 11 October 2023
Jeroen de Ridder's group
"This paper introduces Sturgeon, a neural network using rapid nanopore sequencing to classify CNS tumors during surgery. Sturgeon achieved accurate diagnoses within 40 minutes for 45 out of 50 samples and demonstrated real-time applicability in 25 surgeries with a diagnostic turnaround under 90 minutes. The study suggests that deep learning for affordable intraoperative sequencing could improve neurosurgical decision-making, potentially preventing complications and additional surgeries." By Ihor Smal
Transcriptomic diversity of cell types across the adult human brain
Science, Volume 382, Issue 6667, 13 October 2023
Kimberley Siletti's group
"A comprehensive atlas of cell diversity within the adult human brain would be game-changing for neuroscience. Siletti et al, take us one step closer to this by profiling over 3 million cells sampled from 100 anatomically distinct brain regions. They used graph-based clustering to divide brain cells into 31 superclusters, 461 clusters and 3313 subclusters. This revealed striking and in some cases unexpected patterns of regional diversity. Future research is now needed to explore the extent to which this molecular diversity reveals hidden functional diversity throughout the brain." By Kevin Kenna
A farnesyl-dependent structural role for CENP-E in expansion of the fibrous corona
Journal of Cell Biology, 7 November 2023
Geert Kops' group |
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UBC Debate - Is it time to embrace unrestricted use of generative AI tools in research? |
The UBC Board is proud to announce the very first UBC Debate, scheduled for December 4 at 16:00 in UMC Utrecht’s Stratenum Building. Join us for a lively discussion on the topic "Is it time to embrace unrestricted use of generative AI tools in research?" Panelists, including Dr. Wouter van Amsterdam, Dr. Christine Fox, and Prof. dr. Sanne Abeln, will explore the potential and ethical considerations of tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. In addition to panel discussions, you’re welcome to share your views, participate in group discussions, and network with fellow researchers. See you there for an insightful debate, followed by refreshing drinks.
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