Dr Helena Caren has been using Qlucore Omics Explorer to research tumour growth and treatment at the Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy.
The Sahlgrenska Academy is the faculty of health sciences at the University of Gothenburg, where education and research are conducted within the fields of pharmacy, medicine, odontology and health care sciences.
Caren has been using the Qlucore software to analyse methylation data from the Illumina platform in order to identify patterns that could help to categorise tumours into different categories of seriousness, as well as to predict how the tumour is likely to develop.
'It is often very difficult to find meaningful patterns in very large datasets such as these, but Qlucore's software has made it much easier for me to understand the relevance of the data produced during my methylation analysis,' said Caren.
'The 3D graphics, in particular, have been very helpful, since it is easier to spot important patterns when you can view your results as a 3D image and even rotate the image, if needed, directly on the computer screen,' she added.
The ultimate goal of the methylation study is to identify a set of genes whose methylation profile can accurately determine how aggressive a tumour is, as well as the most effective method of treatment.
In the longer term, these studies will also help to identify the specific genes that have contributed to formation of the tumour itself.
Qlucore said that its Omics Explorer application adds increased creativity to this kind of research, thanks to the software's impressive speed and statistical capability.
Omics Explorer allows actual researchers - the people with the most biological insight - to study the data and to look for patterns and structures.
In addition, because Qlucore Omics Explorer allows researchers to explore different hypotheses and alternative scenarios within seconds, the software is helping to play a key role in unveiling new discoveries.
'One of the best aspects of Qlucore Omics Explorer is that it has allowed me to manipulate all of the data myself, which means that it wasn't necessary to consult bioinformatics specialists every time I wanted to consider a new theory,' said Caren.
'Plus, not only is it very easy for biologists to identify patterns in the data set very quickly by themselves, it is also easy to produce charts and figures, which is useful when presenting important findings for publication,' she added.
