Deep Genomics applying Deep Learning AI to genomics

Deep learning is a type of artificial intelligence in which computers learn to identify and categorize patterns in huge data sets. A start-up, Deep Genomics, that thinks it can transform medicine by applying the hot field of deep learning to genomics.

Brendan Frey and his team would spin out of the University of Toronto and launch a start-up —Deep Genomics.

Frey had gradually realized how rare his expertise in both deep learning and genetics was. Deep learning is currently a hot field in technology, but it’s a small one.

Much of the talent has passed through the University of Toronto’s deep learning group. For example, Yann LeCun now leads Facebook’s artificial intelligence research lab. Geoffrey Hinton, who Frey had worked on machine vision with, now works at Google. Yoshua Bengio is collaborating with IBM’s Watson group.

Deep Genomics will try to tap into the 98.5 percent of the genome that hasn’t been studied closely for mutations and looks for the disease consequences of any mutations it finds.

The idea is to lay the foundation for computers to one day be in charge of predicting lab experiments and treatments and to guide drug development and personalized medicine – perhaps eventually reaching as low as your local doctor’s office. This is really just the beginning. Deep Genomics technology is already finding commercial use in medical diagnostics and drug development.


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