Learn more about Angelo through the following quick questions:
Hi Angelo. What do you do at GenomSys, and what are you currently working on?
I am in charge of coordinating the different development teams so we reach our goals in time. In particular, I’m writing some documentation for the CE certification process and I’m trying to plan the new feature timeline.
What is your take on personalized medicine and what role does GenomSys play in that?
Personalized medicine, to me, is a big step in the future to increase the overall health of all of us. It allows being more effective in terms of treatment and prevention of diseases at a single person level. GenomSys will play an essential role in making personalized medicine a reality. We are developing tools that increase the efficiency of genomic research and provide each citizen with our GenomYou app the possibility to use their own genomic information. In combination with genomics, due to the individual characteristics of our DNA, personalized medicine will become a reality.
What is the most significant benefit of GenomSys’ ISO-certified standard for genomic data (MPEG-G), in your opinion?
The previous genomic data formats were suitable and, for the time being, helped in the progress of genomics. With today’s increase in data amount and sizes of datasets, legacy formats are challenged by many storage space requirements. The new international open standard for genomic data (MPEG-G) allows compressing the genomic data content better and doing a fast search for the region of interest.
Genomic data and data privacy challenges. What is, in your opinion, a way to solve this issue?
Genomic data is in a way ambiguous and let me explain why. Although every one of us carries around 20mio positions on our DNA that are unique to each individual, we still share the majority (>99%) of information throughout every human being.1 So, one could think that while the majority is the same, we would not need a high level for privacy, but I do not think so, as our sequence can disclose certain diseases. For me, it is evident that we need the same level or even a higher level for data privacy on our DNA information as we have for any other sensitive data.
Why did you join GenomSys?
That is a very interesting question. First of all, I must disclose that I had no experience before in genomics; the earlier answers quickly researched differences in DNA between human beings.
But this aside, I think I will learn a lot about the fascinating and quickly evolving field of genomics. On the other hand, I will put my previously acquired experience to good use in developing and improving GenomSys’ tools.
When you’re not programming at GenomSys, what do you do in your free time?
In my spare time, I like to be around my family and enjoy as much time with them as I can get. I have an eight-year-old son and since his birth, I have been amazed to see him grow up day by day.
Do you have a favorite chromosome and why is this your favorite one?
No, I don’t have a favorite, and I explain better the reason why. If you would ask me what is the code part of a program I like most? Probably I’ll reply none of the code parts in particular, but the program itself is what I appreciate the most. I want to see all the program’s architecture in its entirety. The same thing applies to the chromosomes as well.
What is your favorite base in the DNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine)?
None of them because they are basic elements like the letters in a word. I like to see the sequence of the bases, like the sentences in a speech. The whole picture is usually, for me, the most important thing.
If you have any further questions for Angelo or about GenomSys, please feel free to contact us.
1Auton A, Brooks LD, Durbin RM, Garrison EP, Kang HM, Korbel JO, et al. (October 2015). “A global reference for human genetic variation”. Nature. 526 (7571): 68–74. Bibcode:2015Natur.526…68T. doi:10.1038/nature15393. PMC 4750478. PMID 26432245.
