Here’s a great application of machine learning: looking for genetic mutations that could cause disease.
The Human Genome Project mapped the sequences of base pairs in DNA during the 1990s. However, it generated an enormous amount of data, and now teams are applying machine learning techniques in order to analyze the genome. The hope is to be able to identify those mutations in the genome sequence that cause diseases and that could lead to early intervention and perhaps new treatments in the longer term.
It’s nice to see big data and machine learning applications in other areas than trying to improve advertising!
The interview below is with Brendan Frey, CEO of Deep Genomics in Canada and gives a nice overview of what that team is doing and how they are hoping to leverage machine learning.
Sources
Using deep learning to analyze genetic mutations: an interview with Brendan Frey.
DNA Animation: brian0918™ (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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