Big Data in Drug Discovery - Challenges and Opportunities

Speaker: Donghui Zhang, Ph.D.

Abstract:

New therapeutical treatment/drug discovery and development is a lengthy, costly and challenging process from target and lead identifications to product approval by health authorities and post market follow-up. This talk will provide high level overview of various steps in the drug discovery process, together with scientific objectives and scientific approaches in each step. Big data are generated along the process, they bring challenges as well as opportunities for data scientists/statisticians. AI and biostatistics can play a central role to turn big data into evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of the treatment candidate.

Bio-sketch:

Dr. Donghui Zhang is the Global Head of Translational Medicine and Early Development Biostatistics in Sanofi Vaccine. She has 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experiences at Merck and Sanofi, respectively. She has led many projects successfully advanced to treatment drugs that help patients with multiple sclerosis, asthma, COPD, immuno-diseases, diabetes and cancers. She also led the developments of number of automated big data analytical tools that are used by scientists across labs worldwide within her companies. She has more than 50 publications in peer reviewed statistical and scientific journals. Her research significantly impacted the business winning R&D impact award, 1st place Scientific award, and 1st place in Innovation Award. She is active in statistical community, served as associate editors for statistical journals; given many invited talks and keynote speeches at international statistical, mathematical and IEEE conferences. She received BA in Electronics from Shandong University, MA in Mathematics from CCNY and PhD in Statistics from Rutgers University. She collaborated with several universities and produced multiple impactful publications (including some challenging issues without advancements for several decades). Besides serving as corporate management and scientific leader, she had also served as adjunct faculty taught various undergraduate and graduate level statistical courses at Rutgers University.

Place:  Auditorium Electrical Engineering. Cinvestav, Zacatenco.
Date:  June 9, 2025.
Hour:   12:00 - 14:00 hrs. noon
Vídeo:  Here.