
Each of the millions of data points gathered by scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation annually is more meaningful to discoveries than ever before, thanks in part to the pioneering work of one mother nearly 60 years ago.
In 1965, chemist and mother of two Margaret Dayhoff, Ph.D., published a book containing all 65 then-known protein sequences in human biology. Proteins are the product of DNA molecules combining in a series of amino acids that keep the body running smoothly. The order â or sequence â of those amino acids determines a proteinâs function.
Dayhoff applied innovative computer technologies to assemble the book and set in motion the birth of bioinformatics, which uses computer technology to collect, store, analyze and share biological data. The work earned Dayhoff the moniker the âMother of Bioinformatics.â Current databases evolved from her concepts hold hundreds of thousands of protein sequences.

âItâs like the Google of science,â said OMRF genetics researcher Courtney Montgomery, Ph.D. âWe collect data, then we make connections and share it with the scientific community so others can find more.â (story continues below)
In April, Montgomery was named founding director of OMRFâs Center for Biomedical Data Sciences. Her experience with bioinformatics dates to the â90s, and today, she applies that data science to the study of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease in which the immune system overreacts, causing clusters of inflamed tissue to form in different organs.
As a pioneering woman in her field, Montgomery said she felt an âautomatic kindred connectionâ with Dayhoff.
Dayhoff began computing small data sets on punch-card machines before digital computers were commonly available.
âWeâve had to broaden the scope since those days, but the fundamental mathematical concepts are the same,â said Montgomery.
Where data was once isolated to a single lab, Dayhoffâs innovations with early computer algorithms made it possible to create a âdata ecosystemâ with a goal of understanding how each finding fits into the larger world, said Montgomery.
âRecognizing âmothersâ of scientific fields provides honesty to the history of science,â said Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., OMRFâs vice president of research. âIt also serves as an important source of inspiration for aspiring female scientists, who need to know that the path before them is not impossible or untrodden.â
Montgomery and Griffin have something in common with Dayhoff beyond science â both are mothers outside the lab.
âWe juggle many projects at a time in data sciences,â Montgomery said, âbut mothers are used to managing personalities, relationships, practices, activities and more, so we have the skillset already.â
Griffinâs experience of motherhood has also provided training for her scientific career, she said. âItâs taught me to be organized, efficient, and resilient in my own efforts and to be a cheerleader for others throughout the ups and downs of research.â