澳大新語 • 2023 UMAGAZINE 28 20 封面專題 • COVER STORY 一個研究項目，將數據科學與生物醫學相結合，探討生 物醫學、醫學或醫療方面的實際問題。 潘教授指出，該專業範疇的學生以來自學界、醫院和 業界的大型數據集開展研究。近年的研究項目涉及眾 多主題，從解決與生命相關的基本生物學問題、建立 疾病模型、對發病機制的理解、藥物開發，以至人工 智能在醫學中的應用等均有涉獵。「憑藉數據科學與 生物醫學方面的專長，我們的畢業生能為社會帶來更 個人化的醫療服務。」 Growing Demand for Precision Medicine With the increasing demand for personalised healthcare and the active development of the health industry in Macao in recent years, there is a growing demand for precision medicine professionals in many fields, from academia and clinical settings to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Against this backdrop, many students have chosen the Precision Medicine specialisation under the university’s Master of Science in Data Science programme, jointly offered by UM’s Institute of Collaborative Innovation and FHS. ‘This specialisation equips students with a diverse skill set, from data analytics to biomedical sciences, preparing them to tackle a variety of healthcare challenges towards achieving precision medicine,’ says Prof Poon, who also serves as the coordinator of the specialisation. Before graduation, students are required to pursue a research project to solve a practical data science problem in the field of biomedical sciences, medicine, or healthcare. According to Prof Poon, students of the precision medicine specialisation conduct research using large datasets from academia, hospitals, and industries. Recent projects have ranged from solving fundamental biological questions related to life, disease modelling, understanding of disease pathogenesis, drug development and applications of AI in medicine. ‘With expertise in data science and biomedical sciences, our graduates have the ability to contribute to society with more personalised healthcare solutions,’ Prof Poon concludes. 潘全威教授 Prof Terence Chuen Wai Poon When a cancer patient still only has limited response after multiple chemotherapy treatments, the sense of despair can be crushing. Terence Chuen Wai Poon, associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the University of Macau (UM), suggests that in such circumstances, precision medicine—enabled by machine learning and big data analytics—can serve as a compelling alternative to conventional therapies. Harnessing Multifaceted Health Data According to Prof Poon, precision medicine is an emerging clinical and research field that is gaining prominence in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Beyond routine check-ups, clinicians may examine patients' genetic profiles to discern how polymorphism/ mutations affect disease formation. They may also delve into other ‘biomarkers’—such as proteins and metabolites—to get a clearer picture of the patient’s health. By integrating these data, clinicians are better placed to identify disease subtypes, thus enabling more tailored treatment plans. ‘Machine learning and big data analytics play important roles in precision medicine. They are particularly adept at pinpointing biomarkers with remarkable accuracy. This enables us to have a deeper understanding of complex diseases like cancer and diabetes,’ explains Prof Poon. His research applies artificial intelligence for tasks like biomarker discovery, patient classification and disease monitoring. He has also been developing various high-throughput analytical technologies that allow swift and large-scale analyses of biological specimens such as blood and tissue.
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