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Blezo Cwiku

Latest Developments in Bioinformatics

Real stories from computational biology research, AI breakthroughs, and practical insights shaping Taiwan's life sciences community

Advanced genomic sequencing analysis visualization showing computational biology workflow
AI Research March 8, 2026

New Protein Folding Predictions Accelerate Drug Discovery

Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University partnered with our team to develop a machine learning model that cuts protein structure prediction time from weeks to hours. The breakthrough came when Dr. Linnea Falk noticed unusual patterns in amino acid interactions that traditional algorithms consistently missed.

What started as a side project analyzing failed predictions turned into something bigger. The model now helps local pharmaceutical companies screen potential drug candidates faster. It's not perfect—some complex proteins still puzzle it—but the time savings are real enough that three labs in Taipei have already integrated it into their workflows.

Portrait of research contributor
Torvald Ekberg Computational Biology Lead

Recent Breakthroughs Timeline

A look at how computational methods evolved over the past year, changing what's possible in biological research

December 2025

RNA Sequencing Pipeline Optimization

A local research institute needed faster turnaround on gene expression analysis. We rebuilt their data processing pipeline, cutting analysis time by 60%. The head researcher, Dr. Miren Otxoa, told us it meant they could finally keep up with their sample backlog. Small changes—better parallel processing, smarter data structures—but the impact on their daily work was substantial.

November 2025

Microbiome Analysis Framework Released

Gut bacteria research generates massive datasets that are honestly a pain to analyze. We developed an open-source toolkit specifically for Taiwan's microbiome research community. Three universities are using it now. The feedback has been helpful—turns out we missed some edge cases that only show up with fermented food studies.

October 2025

Clinical Trial Data Standardization Success

Different hospitals store patient data differently, which makes multi-site studies frustrating. Working with four medical centers in Taichung, we created a standardization protocol that actually works across their varied systems. Not glamorous work, but researchers can now compare results without spending weeks on data cleanup first.

Current Research Focus

Projects our team is actively working on with research partners across Taiwan's biomedical community

01

Rare Disease Variant Detection

Building better algorithms to spot genetic mutations in small patient populations. Traditional methods need large datasets to train effectively, but rare diseases don't have that luxury. We're experimenting with transfer learning approaches that might help.

Research team member portrait
Dr. Slaine Ó Duibhir Lead Researcher
02

Agricultural Genomics Applications

Taiwan's agriculture sector wants crop varieties that handle climate change better. We're analyzing plant genomes to identify drought-resistant traits. It's early days, but we've found some promising genetic markers in indigenous rice varieties that commercial breeders are now testing.

Collaborative Project Multiple Research Groups
03

Medical Imaging AI Integration

Radiologists at partner hospitals are testing AI tools that flag potential issues in scan images. The technology assists rather than replaces—doctors still make all final decisions. Early results show it catches some things that might otherwise need a second review, though false positives remain a challenge we're working to reduce.

Clinical Partnership Multi-Hospital Initiative