Data Science internship

Improve analysis of our state-of-the-art 3D ex vivo tumour testing platform

What if you could tell the oncologist on beforehand which treatment their patient will best respond to?

Background

VitroScan is a biotech startup developing a diagnostic method for cancer patients to select their best available treatment. We have an in-house laboratory and office in the Leiden BioScience Park where we execute our functional precision medicine pipeline. Fresh tumour tissue is processed directly and cultured in 3D. After 3D imaging, functional readouts are extracted from the imaging and used to model and predict treatment response. We aim to develop a platform that can be used for every cancer type and treatment combination.

Goal of the project

Develop new morphological read-outs (features) from 3D images of tumour clusters to optimize predictive models and clinical correlation in a dataset of 300+ tested cancer patients.

Project description

Currently, we analyse our 3D data using thresholds set from a biological perspective. We want to research if a data-driven approach leads to improved accuracy. The student will apply advanced data science techniques to organize and interpret a database of 10M+ individually segmented tumor clusters. They will apply clustering methods to identify morphological subtypes and using this, develop new functional read-outs. The student is challenged to implement the read-outs into the daily workflow and analyse its impact.

Length of the internship

Minimum of 6 months

What we offer

A dynamic start-up environment at the intersection of academia, the clinic and industry. A dedicated team, of which two skilled data scientists, to make you feel at home and ensure you can make the best of your internship. A meaningful project with a direct application: better treatments for cancer patients. Internship allowance maximum €400 per month.

What we expect

We expect an assertive student who is enthusiastic to make a success out of their project. This includes dedication and responsibility: the internship is your top priority.

Your profile

Resourceful and creative Master student in a life-sciences or data science related field. You have 2+ years of Python experience and have good knowledge of statistics and data science techniques. You have affinity with working with biological and healthcare datasets.