Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) have created a tool that enables users to sort data and retrieve meaningful knowledge. The Source: SDUproject, presented in the journal Nature Methods, is based on the concept of clustering—looking for hidden patterns that humans are unable to “see” and having a computer group common-trait objects.

SDU’s Richard Röttger, assistant professor and head of the research group Practical Computer Science & Bioinformatics, and colleagues used clustering to find data such as regulatory networks in pathogenic organisms. The tool allowed for a fundamental understanding of these organisms without the need for wet-lab studies, which can be dangerous and expensive.

Röttger says that the challenge is that hundreds of comparable but different clustering tools exist, each requiring specific settings. The team at SDU created a tool that provides an objective overview of all available cluster tools, offering researchers an unbiased, objective overview. Researchers also gain suggestions as to what tool to use with what parameters in which setting. The tool, called ClustEval, speeds up the research process and is compatible with a wide range of research topics.

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