Big Data, big impact on life science skills demand - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Big Data, big impact on life science skills demand - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Big Data and its management are changing the fabric of society as we know it. Nowhere is this more evident than in the life sciences industry. Does Big Data represent a paradigm shift in the business of bringing medicines to market? What might it mean for those who work in the life sciences and how will their skills sets be required to evolve? In medicine, the trend towards identifying and understanding the complex genetic codes that define individual disease states looks set to herald a major departure from old models of care delivery. This new data-led era opens up possibilities for evolving and new roles that are as large as the volume of terabytes being generated. What potential has the world of genomics for creating new treatments? With each human genome consisting of 20,000 to 25,000 genes of 3 million base pairs, there are vast quantities of data available for every individual. An explosion in the sequencing, mapping and analysing of genomes has followed on from the Human Gene Project, propelling the field of genomics into the realm of Big Data. As a result, candidates within the life sciences will need to develop new skills to gain the maximum benefit from these opportunities. From genomics comes the concept of personalised medicine, which envisions pharmaceutical, and even genetic, treatments targeted to an individual’s specific illness. No longer will treatments need to conform to a ‘one size fits all’ formula, as has been the case until now. While such remedies may yet be some way off, there is already a move towards sequencing tumour genomes in oncology patients. Promising work with bone marrow transplants is also raising the possibility of gene therapy for blood cancers. Gene therapy has been on the agenda for decades, but as Big Data becomes more cost-effective and accessible, the prospect becomes a real possibility. Once this happens, the very nature of therapeutic intervention will be up for reassessment, as will the skills required by employers seeking to introduce such interventions. Big Data needs evolving new skills to exploit Turning Big Data into usable form comes under the banner of ‘data science’, and there are now many biotech software companies dedicated to analysing and processing gene sequence data. One such company is Desktop Genetics, whose CRISPR genome editing platform is allowing research scientists to better understand the underlying mechanisms of disease. The DeskGen  software  sifts through gigabytes of data, and allows users to modify cell line genomes in ways that have not been possible before. Riley Doyle, CEO and Technical Lead at Desktop Genetics, says: “A genome is like a big DVD of data, and trying to find a particular mutation is akin to going through frame by frame in search of minute differences. DeskGen  software makes this incredible process possible â€" all from the comfort of the researcher’s desktop.” The rapid growth in this sector brings into focus the emerging need for a whole new breed of scientist â€" the ‘bio-coder’. That means biologists who are as proficient in computer science as they are in life science, and can deploy information technology to handle the complexity of Big Data. What Big Data could mean for life science talent A recent analysis by Thomson Reuters reveals that biotech companies are among those showing the largest growth in patent volumes, which gives an indication of the amount of innovation arising from this sector. As biotech companies, software and services proliferate, Big Data becomes an inevitable part of life, and it becomes increasingly essential for life science candidates to apply information technology. Those who understand how to manage data relevant to their research interests, products, customers and markets will create distinctive opportunities for themselves and their employers. Data science will become every bit as important as life science and we can expect to see roles being hybridised, as the need to combine these disciplines in an increasing number of employment contexts filters down. Hays Life Sciences has a proven track record of working with candidates to identify, develop and communicate their understanding of Big Data and data science. We are leaders at partnering companies in finding life scientists with the data science skills required to meet changing demands. Stay up to date with latest news from across the globe by joining our LinkedIn group,  Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays  and follow us on Twitter  @HaysLifeScience