Learn more about Juan, his take on personalized medicine, why he joined GenomSys, his preferences in DNA bases and genomic data privacy, in the following 6 quick questions:
Hi Juan. What do you do at GenomSys and what are you currently working on?
At GenomSys, I work as a bioinformatician. At the moment I take care of the development of analysis pipelines and the assessment of new technologies to be implemented in the future. Basically, I write and optimize the detailed analysis that tools from the GS-suite like GenomSys Variant Analyzer will perform.
Your take on personalized medicine and what role does GenomSys play in that?
To me, personalized medicine is the future – and almost the present – of medicine. We realized that treatments do not affect everyone in the same way and a large amount of inter-patient differences exist. The amount of genomic information available today can be used for personalized approaches to deliver more effective treatments and diagnostics.
In this regard, I think that GenomSys is going to play an important role in integrating these approaches. At the same time, I think GenomSys will contribute to making them more accessible to many patients with an emphasis on data privacy.
Why did you join GenomSys?
What attracted me most is the chance of combining genomic data analysis and the development of new diagnostic and analytic products. Especially in this stage of my life, I want to work in a setting in which my daily work can directly contribute to improving patients’ lives. For this reason, I think that GenomSys is a perfect fit for me. Also, it is great to have the chance to work in a dynamic team with many different experts inside a fast-growing company.
What is your favorite base in the DNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine)?
Cytosine for sure! It is definitely the coolest base in the DNA. Due to its molecular structure, cytosine is more susceptible to mutate into the RNA base uracil. Therefore, cytosine plays an important part in the evolution at the DNA level and thus for the whole biology.
What is the greatest benefit of MPEG-G in your opinion?
Privacy is a burning issue in genomics and an obstacle we must overcome. The MPEG-G standard uses a unique and innovative standardized syntax for data protection that is natively embedded directly into the genome file. In this way, it combines a high level of security without compromising speed and analysis quality.
When you’re not programming for GenomSys, what do you do in your free time?
In my free time, you can normally find me running on mountain trails or climbing walls. I really enjoy being outside in nature. With my recent move to Lugano, I am looking forward to exploring the area and all its beautiful trails.
If you have any further questions to Juan or about GenomSys please feel free to contact us.
