“I've always liked data. As a child, I was interested in engineering, computers, and electronics. In my research field, you spend a lot of time working at a computer, analysing figures. I am happy that my early interests prepared me for what I do today”, says Jussi Taipale, Professor of Medical System Biology in Sweden.

The lower part of our digestive system is known as the colon, of which the last 15 cm is called the rectum. Cancer of the colon and rectum – colorectal cancer – is one of the most common cancers. “We search for genes that are linked to colorectal cancer and gene switches that control the expression of these genes.”