Life Sciences Commons^™

Short Courses: Flexible Learning Opportunities In Informatics, Amy Olex, Aaron R. Wolen, Julie Arendt, Karen H. Gau, F. Gerard Moeller

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

In today’s fast-paced, data-driven world, researchers need to have a good foundation in informatics to store, organize, process, and analyze growing amounts of data. However, not all degree programs offer such training. Obtaining training in informatics on your own can be a daunting task for both new and established researchers who have little informatics experience. Providing educational opportunities appropriate for various skill levels and that mesh with a full-time schedule can remove barriers and foster a collaborative, informatics-savvy community that is better equipped to push science forward.

To enhance informatics education in bioinformatics, VCUs Wright Center for Clinical and Translational …

Discovering Driver Mutations In Biological Data, Yahya Bokhari

Theses and Dissertations

Background

Somatic mutations accumulate in human cells throughout life. Some may have no adverse consequences, but some of them may lead to cancer. A cancer genome is typically unstable, and thus more mutations can accumulate in the DNA of cancer cells. An ongoing problem is to figure out which mutations are drivers - play a role in oncogenesis, and which are passengers - do not play a role. One way of addressing this question is through inspection of somatic mutations in DNA of cancer samples from a cohort of patients and detection of patterns that differentiate driver from passenger mutations. …