Research in the Liliana Florea Lab applies computational techniques toward modeling and problem solving in biology and genetic medicine. We work to develop computational methods for analyzing large-scale sequencing data to help characterize molecular mechanisms of diseases. The specific application areas of our research include genome analysis and comparison, cDNA-to-genome alignment, gene and alternative splicing annotation, RNA editing, microbial comparative genomics, miRNA genomics and computational vaccine design. Our most recent studies seek to achieve accurate and efficient RNA-seq correction and explore the role of HCV viral miRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The Mark Dredze Lab investigates topics such as natural language processing, speech, machine learning and intelligent user interfaces. Our team is currently exploring several key health information applications, including information extraction from social media and biomedical and clinical texts. Our recent research in these areas include vaccine communication during the Disneyland measles outbreak; the validity of online drug forums for estimating trends in drug use; and the use of Twitter to examine social rationales for vaccine refusal.

The GI Biomarkers Laboratory studies gastrointestinal cancer and pre-cancer biogenesis and biomarkers. The lab is led by Dr. Stephen Meltzer, who is known for his research in the molecular pathobiology of gastrointestinal malignancy and premalignancy. Research in the lab has led to several groundbreaking genomic, epigenomic and bioinformatic studies of esophageal and colonic neoplasms, shifting the gastrointestinal research paradaigm toward genome-wide approaches.

Work in the Christopher Chute Lab involves the management of clinical data to enable effective evidence-based clinical practice and translational research. Recently, we developed an EHR-based genetic testing knowledge base to be integrated into the genetic testing ontology (GTO) and identified potential barriers to pharmacogenomics clinical decision support (CDS) implementation.

Researchers in the Harold Lehmann Lab study evidence-based medicine. We are currently examining the informatics infrastructure of research and the secondary use of electronic health record data for research. The team is also evaluating the value of classic evidence reports versus social media versus links to community services for community health workers.

Researchers in the Robert Greenberg Lab examine anesthesiology and critical care-related topics that include critical airway management, non-invasive fetal monitoring, neural blockade monitoring, pediatric acute pain management, cuffed oropharyngeal airway (COPA), pain informatics, and pediatric pain education and innovation.