Special Seminar: George Vasmatzis, "Personalized Cancer Care: The Critical Role of Data Science in Modern Clinical Practice"
- Event Type
- Seminar/Symposium
- Sponsor
- Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
- Virtual
- Join online
- Date
- Dec 9, 2025 2:00 pm
- Views
- 11
- Originating Calendar
- Siebel School Special Seminar Series
Zoom: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82926342087?pwd=Fg4sEr685tpQlYhh03txWgJviMjhif.1
Abstract:
Over the course of my nearly 30-year career as a data scientist, I have worked at the interface of biology, medicine, and computation—building and leading multidisciplinary collaborative teams that translate complex data into actionable clinical insights. By combining a deep understanding of biomedical problems with the development of innovative computational and visualization tools, my work has sought to redefine how data science informs precision medicine.In this talk, I will present examples from cancer genomics that demonstrate how algorithmic analysis and data-driven discovery can reveal key biological features underlying cancer initiation and evolution. I will discuss how these findings have been used to develop clinical diagnostics, advance our understanding of tumor biology, and guide personalized treatment strategies.
Beyond these applications, I will reflect on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in individualized medicine. Drawing from my own experience, I will outline a framework for integrating modern AI methods responsibly and effectively into clinical research and practice—ensuring that data science continues to serve both scientific discovery and patient care.
Bio:
George Vasmatzis an Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and Co-Director of the Biomarker Discovery Laboratory within the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. His expertise spans bioinformatics, engineering, molecular biology, and computational biology, with a research program focused on applying genomic technologies to clinically actionable problems in cancer diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment selection. George’s laboratory operates as a collaborative “hub-lab,” bringing together molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and pathologists to train clinicians and execute translational genomics projects. This multidisciplinary model has enabled the successful discovery and clinical validation of numerous cancer biomarkers, including evidence-based models that stratify patients for precision therapy. Their work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Genome Biology and Blood. They have developed innovative next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, including MPseq, FFPEseq, and WGS methods capable of detecting chromosomal rearrangements from minute tumor samples using laser-capture microdissection and in-situ amplification. These technologies have allowed them to identify actionable DNA junctions, neoantigens, and lineage relationships across tumor foci, contributing directly to precision oncology. George’s program also has developed BACDAC, a method that calculates tumor ploidy down to 1.2X effective tumor coverage and the Constellation Plot to verify tumor ploidy and reveal subclonal populations.Faculty Host: Jim Rehg
Meeting ID: 829 2634 2087
Password: csillinois