Today, toxicologists are collecting progressively big volumes of data– above all what are known as omics information, i.e., information about genes, proteins and metabolic items. These information can help us to better understand the impact of chemical compounds on the body. “To date, however, their potential has not been adequately leveraged, as the proper analytical tools for the dependable analysis of such data, which are highly complicated, are typically doing not have,” states RTG representative Professor Jörg Rahnenführer. “This is the starting point for our research: We in the Research Study Training Group are establishing and using new methods that make it possible to analyze such datasets better.”
Especially challenging in this context is the handling of high-dimensional information, where numerous private pieces of info need to be factored in at the same time. One example is gene expression data, where the activity of thousands of genes or cells is determined simultaneously. This also consists of SNP data, which clarified hereditary variations at countless positions in the genome. Such data provide valuable indications of possible health risks from chemical substances– supplied they can be translated correctly. Within the group’s private tasks, the doctoral students are working, for example, on ways to compute more accurately the minimum effective dose of a medical substance or to determine population groups that react particularly sensitively to air pollutants.
Practical experience and science communication
Over the course of their doctoral degrees, the early career researchers in the RTG have the chance to gather practical experience in the laboratories of the taking part Leibniz institutes or with external commercial partners. As part of the credentials program, they can also even more develop their professional abilities in the locations of analytical knowing and artificial intelligence along with gain preliminary experience in science communication. In a workshop organized in cooperation with the Institute of Journalism at TU Dortmund University, they find out how to communicate their research results to the public in a reasonable method.
About RTG 2624
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