Margaret Dayhoff Centenary Celebration – Bioinformatics Day 2025
Honoring the Pioneer of Bioinformatics
On March 11, 2025, the Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit at the University of Bern hosted a special Bioinformatics Day in honor of Margaret Dayhoff (1925–1983), whose groundbreaking work laid the foundation for the field of bioinformatics.
The day opened with a keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Artemis Hatzigeorgiou (University of Thessaly, Greece), who presented on “Functional Analysis of miRNA: An Experimental-Computational Partnership through the Years.” Her talk traced the evolution of miRNA target prediction from early computational models to modern deep learning approaches, highlighting the contributions of the DIANA lab to methods such as DIANA-microT and microT-CNN.
Another highlight was the awarding of the Margaret Dayhoff Centenary Grant. The 2025 recipient, Dr. Evangelia Lekka (Inselspital Bern), introduced her project on Cas9-mediated targeted nanopore sequencing to decipher the genetic architecture of the pharmacogene CES1. Her research, supported by IBU, aims to improve the resolution of pharmacogenomic data by leveraging long-read sequencing and bioinformatic pipelines.
The afternoon featured a keynote by Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Luisier (Idiap, Martigny) and a spotlight session showcasing cutting-edge bioinformatics applications:
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Prof. Dr. Marianna Rapsomaniki (University of Lausanne) presented on “From Protein Sequences to Patient Outcomes”, focusing on the use of AI in spatial omics and oncology.
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Dr. Natasha Glover (SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics) explored comparative genomics across the tree of life.
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Prof. Dr. Emma Hodcroft (Swiss TPH) gave an engaging talk on Data Visualization and Sharing to Stay Ahead of Changing Viruses, emphasizing tools like Nextstrain and the new Pathoplexus platform.
The program also included a historical feature by Prof. Dr. Bruno J. Strasser (University of Geneva) and parallel sessions on Swiss bioinformatics, career development, and bioinformatics support services at the University of Bern.
We thank all contributors, speakers, and attendees for making this event a fitting tribute to Margaret Dayhoff’s legacy and an inspiring showcase of bioinformatics today.
