The Center for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (CBB) provides support and knowledge on bioinformatics and biostatistics research methods. The goal is to improve opportunities for researchers at Campus Flemingsberg to use new research methods and provide training in existing methods.

The CBB at Campus Flemingsberg seeks to share knowledge about the use and understanding of bioinformatics and biostatistics research methods. Today, these methods are increasingly used in preclinical and clinical research.
“Understanding and managing the large-scale data that today’s research often creates is a major challenge. CBB offers a holistic perspective with the aim of giving more researchers and research groups their own knowledge in the field,” says Carsten Daub, CBB director.

Technologies that produce large amounts of data in short periods of time have been collectively called “omics” technologies. These include genomics, proteomics, epigenomics and metabolomics. To understand and manage the large amounts of data this research creates, comprehensive data analysis and interpretation is needed and this is where knowledge of bioinformatics comes in.
Having access to knowledge about bioinformatics and biostatistics in your research group is important, says Hannes Hagström, CBB co-director. Only then will it be possible to make full use of these methods as tools for advancing research and interpreting results in the right way.
“We do not conduct commissioned research at CBB. Rather, we help researchers and research groups to use these methods correctly in their research. We provide everything from needs analyses to supporting research group recruitment experts and identifying funding for recruitment,” he says.

Open seminars
Under the auspices of the CBB, courses are available to doctoral students and clinics.
“We provide short introductions that provide in-depth knowledge in bioinformatics and biostatistics often as lunch seminars, so that clinical researchers, who are often pushed for time, can participate,” says Daub.
Seminars are given in twin tracks that cover bioinformatics and biostatistics, respectively, and are open to anyone who is interested, either on site at CBB or via Zoom.
Every Thursday, the CBB holds a sort of open house between 1pm to 5pm, for anyone who wants to discuss challenges or problems with others. These meetings are popular, with about ten people attending each time.
“It’s an opportunity for people in these fields to meet each other and share knowledge and experiences,” says Daub.

Mentorship for doctoral students
In addition to this, mentors are also offered for doctoral students in bioinformatics and biostatistics. Since the programme started, the CBB has assigned five people their own mentor. In the new year, more people will be linked to the centre to further increase support for researchers at Campus Flemingsberg.
“We’re also bookable one hour at a time for individual consultations during which we welcome all questions. To date, we’ve held about 20 of these sessions for researchers who needed support in their work,” says Daub.

CBB is primarily intended for researchers at Campus Flemingsberg and is provided within the auspices of CIMED (the Center for Innovative Medicine). CIMED’s mission is to strengthen the clinical research hub at Campus Flemingsberg and stimulate collaboration between researchers at Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet.
“We have funding from CIMED until 2024, but there is hope that our business can become one of Karolinska Institutet’s permanent core facilities,” says Daub.
CBB is also part of the new Clinicum collaboration with KI.

Open house every Thursday
Meet others working in bioinformatics and biostatistics every Thursday between 1pm and 5pm in Neo, the Lipid room, to network and discuss issues and challenges with each other.
Read more on the CBB website.