Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 19h

🌱 DBMI’s Dave Bunten is presenting the Software Gardening Almanack at #USRSE25 today at 1:30 p.m. in Ballroom C.

The Almanack is a tool and handbook that helps scientific software developers cultivate sustainable software.

Explore the tool here: https://github.com/software-gardening/almanack

GitHub - software-gardening/almanack: An open-source handbook of applied guidance and tools for sustainable software development and maintenance.

An open-source handbook of applied guidance and tools for sustainable software development and maintenance. - software-gardening/almanack

github.com

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 1d

Asthma affects millions, but its genetic causes remain unclear, especially in African-ancestry populations. CU Anschutz researchers identified 17 genes linked to asthma risk, offering new insights and tools for future studies ➡️ https://bit.ly/3KHICQA

Paper cut-out of lungs with green leaves against a blue background, symbolizing healthy lungs and clean air.

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 6d

🌱 We're excited for Dave Bunten, a DBMI software engineer, to present the Software Gardening Almanack at next week's #USRSE2025 conference! This open-source handbook + Python package helps teams grow healthier, more maintainable codebases ➡️ https://bit.ly/3KxLteU

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 12d

Did you know ICU pharmacists can reduce adverse drug events by 70%?

Andrea Sikora, PharmD, just led the development of new national guidelines confirming their essential role in critical care. @drugtopics.bsky.social sat down with her to learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3VEDtej

Q&A: New ICU Guidelines Highlight, Confirm Role of Critical Care Pharmacists

Andrea Sikora, PharmD, MSCR, FCCM, FCCP, BCCCP, chair of the committee presenting new guidelines, discussed her role in bolstering pharmacists’ support in the ICU.

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 13d

🧬 Ever wonder how fast your DNA changes from one generation to the next? @hdashnow.bsky.social and her team explored how quickly the human genome mutates by analyzing DNA from four generations of a single family. Dive into this video from @nature.com ⤵️

How quickly do humans mutate? Four generations help answer the question

YouTube video by nature video

youtu.be

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 19d

A collaboration between CU Anschutz, iNFixion, Mass General, and Harvard reveals how losing one gene reshapes cells in NF1. Using Cell Painting and machine learning, researchers built a model to detect subtle changes in Schwann cells, paving the way for targeted treatments.

Inside the Cell: CU Researchers Use Machine Learning to Map NF1 Cell Changes

CU Anschutz researchers use AI to study how loss of the NF1 gene alters cells and drives tumor formation, paving the way for new diagnostics and treatments

news.cuanschutz.edu

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 21d

A chatbot that looks and sounds like your doctor?

Matthew DeCamp, MD, says we need to ask:
✅ Do patients know it’s AI?
✅Do they understand its limits?
✅Do they have a choice?

Ethics must guide AI in healthcare ➡️ https://bit.ly/4pBvOeK

A collage featuring two central figures facing each other, both wearing white coats and stethoscopes, set against a background with various medical and scientific imagery, including doctors in different scenarios and molecular structures.

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 22d

Andrea Sikora, PharmD, joins @drugtopics.bsky.social to discuss new ICU guidelines that formally recognize pharmacists as essential care team members. In this podcast, she shares how the guidelines could reshape pharmacy practice across health care.

🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/41ORE4e

What New ICU Guidelines Mean for the Pharmacist Profession

While the new guidelines are reserved for critical care pharmacists in the ICU, they can be applied to other practice areas, highlighting the crucial role pharmacists play in health care.

bit.ly

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 25d

On #WorldSepsisDay, we’re spotlighting Tell Bennett, MD, MS, who led the first update to pediatric sepsis criteria in nearly 20 years. His team is already working on tools to bring these criteria into hospitals, including EHR-integrated decision support systems ➡️ https://bit.ly/4pmuZ9f

A person wearing a mask sits at a table with a young child on their lap, also in a mask, during a consultation with a healthcare professional in a medical office.

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · 29d

New review alert: Genetic Studies Through the Lens of Gene Networks

Traditional GWAS and TWAS miss gene–gene interactions. This piece reviews leveraging machine learning methods to identify gene modules based on coexpression and functional relationships.

Genetic Studies Through the Lens of Gene Networks | Annual Reviews

Understanding the genetic basis of complex traits is a longstanding challenge in the field of genomics. Genome-wide association studies have identified thousands of variant–trait associations, but mos...

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Sep 7

Our very own, @bstranger.bsky.social, lit up the stage at the Headstrong Comedy Show, where science met satire to tackle misconceptions in women’s health. Hosted by Brainfest at the Bug Theater, the night was a bold blend of laughs and learning.

A group of people joyfully posing together on a stage, with some raising their arms and smiling towards the audience.

A person performs stand-up comedy on stage, with a microphone in hand, next to a stool and a colorful, mosaic-covered sculpture. There's a red curtain backdrop and stage lights overhead.

A group of eight individuals on stage, celebrating, with one person raising their hand enthusiastically. They are in front of a red curtain, suggesting a theater setting.

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Sep 4

Should you pay extra for AI to read your mammogram?

CU Anschutz’s Carie Behounek sat down with David Kao, MD, DBMI secondary faculty member, to unpack the promise, pitfalls, and price of AI in breast cancer screening.

Read the Q&A ➡️ https://bit.ly/4nfsPGU

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Sep 3

New national guidelines, led by ‪@cuanschutz.bsky.social‬ experts in DBMI and ‪@cupharmacy.bsky.social‬, recognize the vital role pharmacists play in improving outcomes through comprehensive medication management. This shift sets new standards for safer, more personalized care.

Pharmacists in the ICU: New National Guidelines Highlight a Life-Saving Role

New national guidelines elevate pharmacists as essential members of ICU teams, recognizing their critical role in improving patient outcomes.

news.cuanschutz.edu

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Sep 2

A new study from researchers at ‪@colorado.edu‬ and @cuanschutz.bsky.social‬ reveals how genetics shape body size, fat distribution, and health risks. This research helps us understand obesity beyond diet and lifestyle, showing how biology plays a powerful role.

Modeling the genomic architecture of adiposity and anthropometrics across the lifespan - Nature Communications

Body size and composition are complex traits that are challenging to characterize due to environmental and genetic influences. Here, Arehart et al. disentangle shared and distinct genetic signals unde...

www.nature.com

CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Aug 27

From speed collaborating to visionary pitches, our annual DBMI retreat sparked fresh ideas and new connections. Faculty, staff, and students came together to reimagine the future of biomedical informatics.

Person presenting a lecture titled "AI-Readiness for Biomedical Data" at a podium in a conference room, with a large projection screen displaying the presentation title and various biomedical and AI-themed graphics.

Three individuals, one wearing a striped shirt and two wearing plaid, are smiling and posing for a selfie at an event, with lanyards visible around their necks. One person is playfully waving at the camera.

Group photo of multiple individuals gathered inside a modern building with a grand staircase in the background.

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Aug 15

CU Anschutz 🤝UCLA

We were thrilled to host @alice.soragnilab.com from UCLA at @cuanschutz.bsky.social. She’s teaming up with @casey.greenelab.com to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. This collaboration is a powerful example of how partnerships accelerate scientific discovery.

Two people on the Anschutz Health Sciences Building patio on a cloudy day at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. They are overlooking Denver and the mountains

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Aug 5

Big leap in genomics! The Norman Lab at the @cumedicalschool.bsky.social helped build one of the most complete maps of the human genome ever.

CU Anschutz Researchers Help Build One of the Most Inclusive Human Genome Maps to Date

CU Anschutz researchers contribute to one of the most inclusive human genome maps created, advancing disease research and precision medicine through groundbreaking genetic diversity insights.

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Jul 30

🎉 Congrats @audreyhendricks.com on receiving the 2025 ASHG Education Award! Hendricks is recognized for her contributions to human genetics and genomics education. From founding training programs to mentoring the next generation of scientists, she continues to make a lasting impact on the field.

American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) @geneticssociety.bsky.social · Jul 29

🚨Just Announced: The 2025 ASHG Professional Award Winners! Meet the innovators shaping the future of human genetics.

💥Full list & details: www.ashg.org/membership/a...
#ASHG #HumanGenetics

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Reposted by CU Department of Biomedical Informatics

Milton Pividori @miltondp.bsky.social · Jun 27

With software engineers from @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social, we developed Manugen-AI, an agentic AI system to automate the mechanical tasks of writing a scientific article #adkhackathon Check it out!

Devpost: devpost.com/software/aca...
Code: github.com/pivlab/manug...
Medium: medium.com/@miltondp/ma...

Academic Manuscript Generation from Assets and Guidance

Writing academic manuscripts can be tedious. Imagine that you could bring together your results, prior research, and some brief bullet points per section to generate a manuscript automatically.

devpost.com

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Dec 21

Explore research from Yanjun Gao, PhD, on LLMs’ capabilities in understanding and representing structured electronic health record data for clinical prediction, which was accepted at the annual EMNLP meeting ▶️https://buff.ly/4a0tAOJ

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Dec 20

Wishing you all a joyful and festive holiday season 🌟

People smiling for a selfie in front of the holiday backdrop

Person smiling for a selfie in front of the holiday backdrop

People smiling for a photo in front of the holiday backdrop while holding holiday props

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Dec 20

We had a blast with Dr. Emily Gibson, DO, as she shared some awesome tips on posture and how to sit right and work right! We even got moving with a fun group exercise that got us all off our feet!

Person standing at the front of the room at a podium next to a PowerPoint presentation that reads "Sit Right, Work Right: Prioritizing posture for a healthier workday"

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Dec 19

In cancer transcriptomics, it's believed that smaller, simpler models generalize better. But does this hold true for gene expression-based predictive models across datasets and cancer types? Learn more ▶️ https://buff.ly/3P2OFOx

Graphic of a flow chart highlighting LASSO

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CU Department of Biomedical Informatics @cubiomedinfo.bsky.social · Dec 19

What a view 🤩

View of Downtown Denver and the mountains from the CU Anschutz campus

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Reposted by CU Department of Biomedical Informatics

Harriet Dashnow @hdashnow.bsky.social · Dec 12

I am excited to present STRchive.org v2!

A resource for tandem repeats associated with Mendelian disease. We have resigned the website, added new loci, streamlined our data for easier reuse, added more detailed citations, presented population frequency data and more!

STRchive

An archive of STRs associated with human diseases

STRchive.org

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