Steven Jones

BC Cancer Research Centre

CV Highlights

• Head Bioinformatics, Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Research Centre

• Director, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Bioinformatics for Health Research Training Program

• Assistant Professor, Medical Genetics, UBC

• Adjunct Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SFU

• Research Interests: Bioinformatics, genomics, comparative analysis, genomic sequence analysis, gene prediction, Hidden Markov model, physical mapping

Steps Closer to a Cure

A key to understanding the complexities behind cancer formation lies in understanding the most basic functions of our living cells. Steven Jones, Head of Bioinformatics in the Genome Sciences Centre at the BC Cancer Research Centre, employs the use of WestGrid supercomputers to piece together some of these puzzles.

Through analysis of empirical data, Jones aims to determine, derive and record in a database the regulatory elements of essentially all mouse and human genes. This could lead to the identification of control elements that regulate the expression of many genes. Regulation of gene expression plays a critical role in ensuring gene products are placed in the appropriate cellular environment containing the necessary interacting regulatory molecules. Hence, an understanding of the regulation of gene expression is a crucial part of understanding how proteins function in a living cell.

Having a resource such as WestGrid in the research community represents a powerful competitive advantage in allowing Jones' research team to complete its analysis in a rapid fashion. Through WestGrid, Jones is able to implement advanced algorithms which would not be feasible without access to HPC resources.