Predictions, Pivots, and a Pandemic: a Review of 2020's Top Translational Bioinformatics Publications

• Published in: Yearbook of medical informatics Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 219 - 225
• Main Authors: McGrath, Scott P., Benton, Mary Lauren, Tavakoli, Maryam, Tatonetti, Nicholas P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany Georg Thieme Verlag KG 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Biological Specimen Banks; Computational Biology; Computer Security; COVID-19; Machine Learning; Publishing - trends; SARS-CoV-2; Section 8: Bioinformatics and Translational Informatics; COVID-19; machine learning; bioinformatics
• ISSN: 0943-4747; 2364-0502
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1726540

Summary Objectives: Provide an overview of the emerging themes and notable papers which were published in 2020 in the field of Bioinformatics and Translational Informatics (BTI) for the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook. Methods: A team of 16 individuals scanned the literature from the past year. Using a scoring rubric, papers were evaluated on their novelty, importance, and objective quality. 1,224 Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms extracted from these papers were used to identify themes and research focuses. The authors then used the scoring results to select notable papers and trends presented in this manuscript. Results: The search phase identified 263 potential papers and central themes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), machine learning, and bioinformatics were examined in greater detail. Conclusions: When addressing a once in a centruy pandemic, scientists worldwide answered the call, with informaticians playing a critical role. Productivity and innovations reached new heights in both TBI and science, but significant research gaps remain.