Rice University scientists have developed a big data technique that could have a significant impact on health care. The Rice lab of bioengineer Amina Qutub designed an algorithm called “progeny clustering” that is being used in a hospital study to identify which treatments should be given to children with leukemia. Clustering is important for its ability to reveal information in complex sets of data like medical records. The technique is used in bioinformatics — a topic of interest to Rice scientists who work closely with fellow Texas Medical Center institutions. “Doctors who design clinical trials need to know how to group patients so they receive the most appropriate treatment,” Qutub said. “First, they need to estimate the optimal number of clusters in their data.” The more accurate the clusters, the more personalized the treatment can be, she said. Separating groups by a single data point, like eye color, would be easy, she said. But when separating people by the types of proteins in their bloodstreams, it becomes more difficult. To read more, please visit http://news.rice.edu/2015/08/12/algorithm-clarifies-big-data-clusters-2/.