Computational Biology & Biostatistics Core

The Computational Biology and Biostatistics Core (CBBC) provides essential services and resources for all projects of the WCM SPORE in Prostate Cancer (PCa). Drs. Olivier Elemento, Ph.D., and Karla Ballman, Ph.D.  serve as co-directors of the BPC, with Dr. Andrea Sboner (co-investigator), and Dr. Francesca Demichelis as co-investigators, all providing decades of experience and published expertise in computational biology and biostatistics applied to PCa and other cancer types.

The projects of the WCM SPORE in PCa encompass a wide range of activities, including studies in cell lines and clinical trials. These research studies produce numerous types of data, including clinical, epidemiological, biochemical, immunohistochemical, pharmacokinetics, genotype, and immunologic. The CBBC delivers comprehensive biostatistics and bioinformatics expertise to ensure the statistical integrity and to optimize the data analysis of the investigations of the projects. The CBBC also incorporates reliable experimental design principles within each project that enhances interpretability of study results, assists in the interpretation of results. And further provides an integrated data management system, customized to the needs of the WCM SPORE to promote communication between all projects and cores. All these state-of-the-art techniques will be available for all SPORE Projects.

Specific Aims:

AIM 1: Provide computational analysis of genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptional profiling for all Projects and Cores that are part of this SPORE

AIM 2:  Provide the full spectrum of statistical services for all Projects and Cores that are part of the SPORE.