
Soft Computing (SOCO)
The main objectives of the SOCO group are twofold:
One the one, we aim to make progress in the state-of-the-art of soft-computing methodologies, as well as to investigate their possible hybridisation in order to improve their robustness and efficacy. The SOCO group is currently working on soft-computing methods including, among others, the following:
- Artificial neural networks (feed-forward, recurrent, heterogeneous)
- Support vector machines
- Deep Learning
- Fuzzy Inductive Reasoning
- Fuzzy control
- Genetic algorithms and evolutionary strategies
- Unsupervised probabilistic models
- Pattern recognition and computer vision
- Feature selection and dimensionality reduction
On the other hand, we aim to apply these methods to real-world problems. The group has long-term experience in the following areas of application:
- Medical (human central nervous system, cancer prediction and diagnosis, cognitive neuroscience, major depression, Alzeheimer, etc.)
- Pharmacological (G-Protein Coupled Receptors analysis)
- Biological (growth of white shrimp, wastewater treatment plants)
- Business (church analysis, market segmentation)
- Environmental (seismic risk estimation, ozone and air contaminants)
- Music (Modelling high-level musical features)
Main projects
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1.
KAPPA-AIM: Knowledge Acquisition in Pharmacoproteomics using Advanced Artificial Intelligence Methods
Period: 2013-01-01 to 2015-12-31 More than 50% of drugs target only four key protein families, from which almost a 30% correspond to the G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR) superfamily. The central objective of this project was dual: on one side, the design of adequate artificial intelligence-based methods for the analysis of GPCR sequential data. On the other side, and given that this research has the ultimate goal of being useful in helping drug design and the understanding of the molecular processes involved, we aimed to apply the developed methods in relevant pharmacoproteomic problems such as GPCR subtyping, receptor heteromerization and deorphanization, and protein alignment-free analysis
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2.
AIDTumour: Herramientas Basadas en Métodos de Inteligencia Artificial para el Apoyo a la Decisión en Oncología
Period: 2010-01-01 to 2012-12-31 The core of this project was the design and development of artificial intelligence-related tools for decision support in the clinical diagnosis of human cancer pathologies, with a focus on brain tumours. The tools developed in this project made use of advanced techniques from the fields of Machine Learning, Computational Intelligence, Pattern Recognition and Soft Computing, to solve problems of classification, clustering, feature selection and extraction, time series analysis and data visualization.
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3.
(MADep) Monitoratge i Assistència per a la Depressió
Period: 2009-06-05 to 2011-06-05 Major depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders present in the general population, with a lifetime prevalence of 12.8%, and 12-month prevalence range between 3.6% and 9.1% in Europe. In this project, a major depression monitoring system was developed to facilitate a more frequent follow-up of patient progress during their home stay after being diagnosed with depression by a psychiatrist.
Institutions
Bioinformatics expertise:
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Algorithmics (26)
- AIZON (Aizon)
- Algorithms, Computational Biology, Complexity and Formal Methods (UPC)
- Amalfi Analytics (Amalfi)
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (CSIC)
- Biomedical Signal Processing and Interpretation (IBEC)
- Chemometrics for Environmental Omics (CSIC)
- Comparative Bioinformatics (CRG)
- Computational & Mathematical Biology (CRM)
- Computational Biology and Complex Systems Group (UPC)
- Computational continuum mechanics (UPC)
- Computational RNA Biology group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Computational Science group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Computer Vision and Robotics Group (UdG)
- Control Engineering and Intelligent Systems (UdG)
- Data and Signal Processing Research Group (UVic-UCC)
- Distributed Computation Group (UdL)
- High Performance Computing Applications for Science and Engineering - Bioinformatics (UAB)
- IN2 Ingeniería de la Información (IN2)
- Internet Computing & Systems Optimization (FUOC)
- Laboratory of Relational Algorithmics, Complexity and Learnability (UPC)
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics (UAB)
- Modelling, Identification and Control Engineering (UdG)
- Numerical Genomics - Statistical and population genomics (CRAG)
- Research Group on Statistics, Econometrics and Health (UdG)
- Signal and Information Processing for Sensing Systems (IBEC)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
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Bioinformatics of Disease and Treatment (31)
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Antimicrobials (UAB)
- Bioinformatics and Medical Statistics (UVic-UCC)
- Biomedical Genomics (IRB Barcelona)
- Biomedical Signal Processing and Interpretation (IBEC)
- Cancer Genomics Group (VHIO)
- Computational Biology & Drug Design (UB)
- Computational Biology of RNA processing (CRG)
- Computational continuum mechanics (UPC)
- Computational Genomics (BSC)
- Computational RNA Biology group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Data and Signal Processing Research Group (UVic-UCC)
- Epigenetics of Endocrine Pancreatic Tumours (IGTP)
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Service (UAB)
- Hereditary Cancer Group (IGTP)
- High Content Genomics and Bioinformatics (IGTP)
- Information System for Research in Primary Care (IDIAP Jordi Gol)
- Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació Guttmann ()
- Integrative Biomedical Informatics group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Integrative Systems Biology, Metabolomics and Cancer (UB)
- Laboratory of Computational Medicine (UAB)
- Mechanics of development and disease (IBEC)
- Modeling of Biological systems & Drug Design (UB)
- Modelling, Identification and Control Engineering (UdG)
- Molecular Engineering Group (URL)
- Nutrition, Eumetabolism and Health (UdG)
- Roche Diagnostics (Roche)
- Signal and Information Processing for Sensing Systems (IBEC)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
- The CRG Bioinformatics Unit (CRG)
- The Human Microbiome Lab (VHIR)
- Translational Bioinformatics group (VHIR)
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Biomedical Informatics (46)
- Bioinformatics and Medical Statistics (UVic-UCC)
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (CRAG)
- Biomedical Genomics (IRB Barcelona)
- Biomedical Signal Processing and Interpretation (IBEC)
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Group (UPC)
- BITAC (BITAC)
- Centre Nacional d'Anàlisi Genòmica CNAG-CRG (CRG)
- Clinical statistics and biodiversity (UB)
- Computational & Mathematical Biology (CRM)
- Computational Bioinformatics Node (National Institute of Bioinformatics - INB) (BSC)
- Computational Biology & Drug Design (UB)
- Computational Biology and Complex Systems Group (UPC)
- Computational Biology of RNA processing (CRG)
- Computational RNA Biology group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Control Engineering and Intelligent Systems (UdG)
- Costaisa (Costaisa)
- Data and Signal Processing Research Group (UVic-UCC)
- Disease Genomics (IGTP)
- Distributed Computation Group (UdL)
- Functional Genomics group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Service (UAB)
- Hereditary Cancer Group (IGTP)
- Information Modeling and Processing (UPC)
- Information System for Research in Primary Care (IDIAP Jordi Gol)
- Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management (ESADE)
- Integrative Biomedical Informatics group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Integrative Systems Biology, Metabolomics and Cancer (UB)
- Laboratory of Relational Algorithmics, Complexity and Learnability (UPC)
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics (UAB)
- Mathematical Modeling of Metabolic Processes (UdL)
- Mechanics of development and disease (IBEC)
- Mechanisms of cancer and cell differentiation (IGTP)
- Mind the Byte ()
- Modeling of Biological systems & Drug Design (UB)
- Modelling, Identification and Control Engineering (UdG)
- Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics (UB, IRB Barcelona)
- Pharmacelera ()
- Research Group on Artificial Intelligence (URV)
- Roche Diagnostics (Roche)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
- Systems Pharmacology group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- The Computational Chembiological Team (UAB)
- The CRG Bioinformatics Unit (CRG)
- The Human Microbiome Lab (VHIR)
- Theoretical Chemistry, Modelling and Molecular Engineering (UdG)
- Translational Bioinformatics group (VHIR)
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Integrative Bioinformatics (18)
- Bioinformatics Platform (IDIBAPS)
- Cancer genetics and epigenetics (IGTP)
- Computer-aided Drug Design and Knowledge Management (ESTEVE)
- Costaisa (Costaisa)
- Epigenetics of Endocrine Pancreatic Tumours (IGTP)
- Genome Data Science (IRB Barcelona)
- Hereditary Cancer Group (IGTP)
- High Content Genomics and Bioinformatics (IGTP)
- High Performance Computing Applications for Science and Engineering - Bioinformatics (UAB)
- IN2 Ingeniería de la Información (IN2)
- Information Modeling and Processing (UPC)
- Integrative Biomedical Informatics group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Integrative Systems Biology, Metabolomics and Cancer (UB)
- Mathematical Modeling of Metabolic Processes (UdL)
- Sequentia Biotech (SeqBio)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
- Statistics and Bioinformatics Research Group (UB)
- Statistics and Bioinformatics Unit (VHIR)
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Medical Imaging (7)
- Computer Vision and Robotics Group (UdG)
- Data and Signal Processing Research Group (UVic-UCC)
- Graphics and Imaging Laboratory (UdG)
- Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management (ESADE)
- Nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear optics and lasers (UPC)
- Scene understanding & Artificial Intelligence (FUOC)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
- Metabolomics (7)
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Pharmacoinformatics (8)
- AIZON (Aizon)
- Clinical Genomics Unit ()
- Information System for Research in Primary Care (IDIAP Jordi Gol)
- Integrative Systems Biology, Metabolomics and Cancer (UB)
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics (UAB)
- PharmacoInformatics Group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
- Systems Pharmacology group of GRIB (UPF, IMIM)
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Proteomics (11)
- Bioinformatics Platform (IDIBAPS)
- Biological Chemistry and Biotechnology Group (URL)
- Compositional and Spatial Data Analysis (UPC)
- Computational Genomics Lab @ UB (UB)
- CRG/UPF Proteomics Unit (UPF, CRG)
- Electronic and Atomic Protein Modelling (BSC)
- Functional Proteomics (UAB)
- Nutrition, Eumetabolism and Health (UdG)
- Protein Engineering Laboratory (UdG)
- Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases (UAB)
- Soft Computing (UPC)
Group Leader:
Maria Angela Nebot Castells
Bioinformatics services offered
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The SOCO research group
The SOCO research group provides expertise on data analytics for bioinformatics and biomedical problems. We are in a key position between pure technical and IT proficiency and biomedical/bioinformatics expertise that allows us to generate bespoke solutions in these fields. Our particular expertise on state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning provides us with a powerful set of tools to address the everincreasing data-related challenges found in proteomics, genomics and evidence-based medicine