Data Team is the Backbone of Medaffcon, Ensuring the Reliability of Research Results

If one word could describe Medaffcon’s data team, it would be backbone. The data team keeps Medaffcon’s research projects on track and ensures that the research findings are scientifically sound. At the heart of the team’s work is the processing and analysis of patient data, particularly in Real-World Evidence (RWE) studies.

The data team bridges health economics, medical research, and modern data science, delivering tailored solutions to meet client needs. Their work supports the pharmaceutical industry, health technology, and healthcare development both in Finland and across the Nordics.

The team is led by Iiro Toppila, M.Sc. (Tech) in Bioinformation Technology. Before joining Medaffcon, he worked as a research assistant in an academic research group, analysing clinical and genetic patient data.

“At Medaffcon, I’m doing essentially the same things as in academia, but the business side offers a broader, helicopter-level perspective and a wider range of topics. The pace is also much faster. I get the best of both worlds,” Toppila explains.

Strong Theoretical and Technical Expertise with Excellent Interdisciplinary Communication Skills

Toppila’s team consists of six data scientists, with a new member starting soon. Most team members have backgrounds in engineering or statistics, with expertise in areas like bioinformatics, biostatistics, or epidemiology.

“What our team members have in common is strong theoretical and technical expertise, as well as the ability to communicate across disciplines—for example, with physicians, geneticists, and pathologists,” Toppila notes.

In addition to Toppila, the team currently includes Samuli Tuominen, Johanna Vikkula, Juhani Aakko, Olivia Hölsä, and Anna Anttalainen.

“We have some incredibly smart people on our team. Their solution-oriented mindset, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of customers are on another level. We recognise what the client truly needs and don’t settle just to deliver exactly what they initially ask for,” Toppila says.

The team’s innovative spirit is reflected in its constant search for new and better ways of doing things, rather than settling for the status quo.

“We aim to stay at the forefront and are always interested in exploring new ideas,” says Toppila.

Knowledge is maintained and expanded by reading scientific literature and attending industry conferences, such as ISPOR, on a regular basis. The team also shares the learnings with each other effectively in our non-hierarchical environment.

The Data Team Utilizes AI and Machine Learning in Analysis’

The data team leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning, and various in-house developed tools to analyze health data. These technologies facilitate more efficient solutions for healthcare decision-making and treatment evaluation.

Data scientists are involved in research projects from the planning stage.

“We contribute our expertise on what data is needed and how it should be analysed to ensure reliable answers to research questions. We have deep knowledge of different data sources, registers; and their possibilities and limitations,” Iiro explains.

Data experts are responsible for creating the analysis plan, processing the data, and conducting the analyses.

“Raw data is often far from ready. It may be messy, incomplete, or disorganized. We clean the data and ensure its quality. We then shape it into a dataset suitable for analysis. Once the analyses are complete, we report the results and support clients in scientific publications, naturally in strong collaboration with the Scientific Advisors from our RWE team” Toppila adds.

Most Projects Involve Real-World Patient Data

Most of the team’s projects are based on real-world patient data. Research topics may include epidemiological questions such as patient population size and disease prevalence, or treatments and their outcomes. A health economics perspective is often included—looking at treatment costs and patients’ use of healthcare services.

Research themes vary: one project may focus on a rare hereditary disease, another on a common chronic condition, or even an everyday respiratory infection. The team explores phenomena across the full spectrum—from the common cold to cancer.