May 4th, 2021

The Helmholtz International Lab “Causal Cell Dynamics” has announced its collaboration with the AI research institute Mila from Quebec. The goal is to understand cellular processes in the development of diseases using Big Data and AI.

Mila – Québec AI Institute, founded by computer scientist Yoshua Bengio in 1993, is one of the world’s largest research institutions in the AI field and gathers a total of about 500 researchers. The institute has particularly distinguished itself in the field of machine learning, a subfield of AI that plays an important role in biomedical research, among other areas. Mila’s collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute focuses on algorithm construction and analysis, as well as the development of responsible AI applications in medical research.

” The goal is to develop machine learning methods to capture cell dynamics […] to help us better understand how cells act and react. Because the more we know about the underlying algorithms and mechanisms, the better we understand why cells change in certain diseases – and what might usefully intervene in these processes,” says Yoshua Bengio.

The cooperation between the two research institutes relies both on the exchange of data and knowledge, but also on the international exchange of scientists.
” The selected research labs receive multi-annual funding from Helmholtz to expand international connections and networks. This creates a really productive and prolific environment, because we can afford to attract more promising PhD students and strengthen our international exchange and collaboration.,” said Dr. Fabian Theis, head of the Helmholtz Institute’s International Lab “Causal Cell Dynamics.”

Read the full interview with Fabian Theis and Yoshua Bengio here.