"Understanding tumor microbiology will help us improve our existing chemotherapies treatments for cancer patients, says Danino, a biomedical engineering professor at Columbia Engineering."

Danino is known for genetically engineering bacteria to treat cancers, part of a field called synthetic biology. In this study, however, he and his collaborators took a different approach: analyzing micro-sized bacteria that hobble a widely-used chemo drug. Irrespective of his approach, though, his intent is the same: to merge biology and data science for greater good of society.

"The goal of our research is to use novel techniques for social good and to improve the health of many people," he says. "Data science combined with experimental approaches provides an exciting path to doing so."



Source: Eurekalert