Namshik Han

Biography

The aim of the Milner Institute’s Computational Biology and Artificial Intelligence team, led by Dr Namshik Han, is to create an atlas of disease mechanisms through the integration and interrogation of large multi-omic datasets. The team are using bespoke machine learning methods to identify new signatures of disease and therapeutic targets, as well as network analysis to gain a deep understanding of the underlying causes of disease. The team have an established track record of collaboration with industry (e.g. GSK, AstraZeneca and Storm Therapeutics) and drug discovery partners (e.g. through a renewed partnership with LifeArc and also with Cancer Research Horizons/CRUK Cambridge Centre), through which they have developed and validated methodology with clear applications in drug discovery. The team works closely with researchers and clinicians throughout Cambridge who have unique patient datasets and disease models. It is this sharing of cross-sector expertise that ensures results are biologically interpretable and can inform go/no go decision making in drug discovery. The team’s approaches have been applied to target identification and repositioning, and are applicable across many areas of healthcare including early detection and personalised medicine.

The MTI is a purpose-built research institute at the University of Cambridge, with an overarching vision to convert pioneering science into therapies. The MTI is breaking new ground in academic/industry interactions and demonstrates a world-leading model of start-ups, academics and pharma companies working side by side at the bench. The MTI environment offers a unique opportunity to work at the interface of academia and industry, applying ground-breaking technologies to drug discovery and patient treatment.