– Motivated by the desire to combine medicine and technology, I began my academic journey at Aarhus University in Denmark, where I enrolled for a Master’s degree in bioinformatics – according to Mateo Sokač, head of the Bioinformatics Research Group at Algebra University, who quickly distinguished himself during his Master’s studies through his perseverance and desire to acquire new knowledge and, thanks to a bit of luck, came into contact with the eminent molecular biologist Nicolai Juul Birkbak. At the time, Birkbak was looking for collaborators with knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to form an interdisciplinary research group.
– My focus is AI and data science, his is molecular biology, and we complemented each other very well in our work so that the research group could develop faster and have a greater impact. The project we worked on is about the evolution of cancer, i.e. how a normal cell becomes a tumor and the background biological mechanisms that drive this. The process involved the use of the Next Generation Sequencing method and, of course, analyzing a large amount of data on the human genome – says Mateo.
Life in Denmark
After successfully completing his doctoral studies, Mateo stayed in Aarhus for a year of postdoctoral training to complete the projects he had started and finish the research. He spent a total of eight years in Denmark and then decided to return to Croatia. He decided to use the experience gained at Aarhus University to further develop his career in Zagreb by continuing to work on issues important to society. The motivation to solve the “unsolvable” inspired him to become involved in cancer research.
– The research we are currently working on is of great importance to the healthcare system, because the situations that are the focus of our research can affect anyone at any time. The methodology I am working on is helping to find better and more efficient treatments for cancer that use the human genome, i.e. personalized medicine that adapts to the needs and specificities of each individual.
AI in medicine
On the current topic of artificial intelligence, Mateo believes that it is an integral part of our lives, whether we like it or not. In his opinion, it is important that society works to accept this new companion and develop critical thinking, especially when it comes to interpreting data that comes from AI systems.
– We need to focus on how we can make the best use of AI – emphasizes Mateo, because the potential of artificial intelligence can significantly improve many aspects of our lives.
AI has a special place in medicine, emphasizes Sokač, citing radiology as an illustrative example.
– In radiology, artificial intelligence is already better, faster and, above all, more consistent than humans, says Sokač, adding that the institutions in Denmark and the USA where he has worked have already started to reduce the number of students they admit to radiology studies. “The studies are geared towards the use of AI as much as possible,” he explains. Sokač emphasizes that humans will always be needed, as artificial intelligence cannot make final decisions that, even if sometimes illogical, require human judgment.
– I would like to see how my research is applied in real-life situations and I hope that it will help bring about significant positive changes in the field of healthcare – concludes Mateo.
For more information about Mateo’s scientific achievements, visit his official Google Scholar profile.
