Two data science students at Meharry SACS are leaving their mark on the scientific community. Farhana Manzoor and Cyruss Tsurgeon, Data Science, M.S. student and Biomedical Data Science, Ph.D. student, respectively, have together conducted research that will help advance the way that we understand gene activity in health and disease. How? They illustrated the power of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). (Literally.)
What is RNA-seq?
RNA-seq is a powerful technology that allows scientists to see which genes are active in cells, providing critical insights into diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders, and more. However, the massive amounts of data generated by RNA-seq can be overwhelming. That’s where the work of SACS students Manzoor and Tsurgeon comes in. They reviewed and analyzed 33 cutting-edge studies to identify the best visualization tools—like heatmaps, scatter plots, and network diagrams—that turn complex genetic data into clear, actionable visuals.
Why does it matter?
The work of Manzoor and Tsurgeon addresses an important emerging issue in healthcare. While we have more data than ever before, we do not have enough user-friendly ways of handling and interpreting it, especially when it comes to RNA-seq. By analyzing 33 studies to compile the best data visualization tools, Manzoor and Tsurgeon succeeded in making RNA data more accessible, and more useful, for all.
Vibhuti Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science and principal investigator on Manzoor and Tsurgeon’s research project, offers his insight on the implications of his students’ research.
“This can act as a good source or repository for scientists to choose the relevant tools required to analyze their sequencing data and generate insights out of it,” explains Gupta, “Which is very crucial for basic scientists working in wet labs, as well as data scientists working on developing computational methods and tools to analyze these high dimensional and unstructured sequencing data to generate insights out of it.”
And at the top of the year, Manzoor and Tsurgeon had the opportunity to publish their findings in the renowned Bioengineering academic journal, making their findings available to the broader scientific community at large.
A proud professor
“It was exciting to work with both Manzoor and Tsurgeon. They both contributed to the article starting from conceptualization, data collection, data analysis, writing and responding to the reviewer comments,” says Gupta.
“Both are dedicated and extraordinary SACS students who work outside normal hours to finish the tasks in timely manner. Their research and writing skills are commendable.”
“This means a lot for Meharry SACS as an emerging authority in the healthcare data science space as it will not only help the data scientists but also a useful resource for researchers and clinicians interested in using RNA-seq data for various clinical purposes.”
