IBPhBME researchers publish two studies in a prestigious Interface Focus theme issue

Researchers from the Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have contributed two articles to the new theme issue Data-driven modelling for living systems of the prestigious journal Interface Focus, published by the British Royal Society:

• A variant InterCriteria Analysis method based on mean value: An application to prostate cancer data by Krassimir Atanassov, Lyudmila Todorova, Peter Vassilev, Elenko Popov, Angel Bozhkov, Chavdar Slavov and Vassia Atanassova;
• Blood donation landscape in Bulgaria: Data analytics insights from 2024 by Ivo Umlenski et al.

Organised by Prof. Maia Angelova, Acad. Krassimir Atanassov, Prof. Sergiy Shelyag and Assoc. Prof. Chandan Karmakar, the theme issue reflects the growing importance of data-driven modelling in the study of living systems. Today, increasingly complex and diverse data are collected at multiple scales—from molecular, genetic and cellular processes to organs, whole organisms, vital signs and electronic health records. Further sources include sleep, mobility and other personal health data obtained through wearable devices, as well as information related to society, professional environments and the natural environment.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence and modern data analysis make it possible to examine these interconnected levels from different perspectives. Like a powerful lens, data-driven modelling allows researchers to “zoom in” on genes, cells and organs and to “zoom out” towards the interactions of the human organism with society and the environment. The articles in the issue illustrate this broad interdisciplinary perspective through applications in microbial growth, biological delay models, biodiversity, prostate cancer research, blood donation system, sleep disorders and other complex systems.

Interface Focus is a Q1 journal indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (SCIE), with a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 4.0. The theme issue, published in August 2026 under the Open Access license “Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY)”, is a continuation of the International Conference on Data-Driven Modelling for Living Systems organized by IBPhBME in June 2023.

Complete Volume 16, Issue 3: Data-driven modelling for living systems.