Fundraising News
Center for Modeling Integrated Metabolic Systems (MIMS)
Case Western Reserve University has established
a new Center for Modeling Integrated Metabolic
Systems (MIMS), funded with a five-year, $11.9 million grant
from the National Institute of General Medical Science, an arm
of the National Institutes of Health.
The MIMS center is one of two new enterprises
recently established by the NIH to encourage computational approaches
to deepen the nationwide scientific understanding of complex biological
processes.
MIMS center researchers use mathematical modeling
and computer simulation to analyze changes in cellular metabolism
of the heart, skeletal muscle, brain and liver as well as their
integrated effects in the human body. The metabolic changes of
interest are associated with exercise, diet and disease.
Collaborations in the MIMS center involve six
faculty from Case and two from Cleveland State University (CSU)
with complementary expertise in computer modeling and biological
experimentation.
"Center experts use computers to solve thousands
of mathematical equations, simulate complex biological functions,
interpret experimental data and make quantitative predictions for
understanding abnormal function," said Professor Gerald M. Saidel
of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, who is also Director
of the MIMS Center.
"The MIMS center's multidisciplinary team will
contribute to the development of quantitative tools to analyze
complex biological mechanisms at the root of many serious health
problems," Saidel said. These tools include advanced numerical
methods for faster computer simulation being developed by Case
Professor of Mathematics Daniela Calvetti.
In addition to cutting-edge research, the MIMS
center will offer an annual symposium or workshop on modeling integrated
metabolic systems that will be open to researchers from around
the globe. It also will provide educational and work opportunities
for Case undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral research
associates.
"The center will help develop a new generation
of researchers who will be able to deal with complex biomedical
systems by applying sophisticated modeling for the analysis of
experimental data," Saidel said. "These young investigators will
learn to test hypotheses quantitatively by performing optimally
designed experiments and using computational models for integration,
interpretation and prediction."
MIMS center researchers point out that computer
modeling is becoming more common in analyzing complex biomedical
problems because of the availability of high-performance, low-cost
computers with large storage capacity. "The center's system modeling
and integration ability will help scientists understand the interaction
of the metabolic pathways in organs and tissues as well as their
integrated responses in the context of the whole body," said Associate
Director of the MIMS Center Marco E. Cabrera. Cabrera also is an
assistant professor of pediatrics, biomedical engineering, and
physiology and biophysics at Case and a scientist at the Research
Institute of the University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC).
MIMS research Leaders and New Directions
Professor Gerald Saidel will take a leadership
role in model development and data analysis for all research projects
as well as collaborate in the Center's two core areas: systems
modeling integration and computational methods of large-scale systems.
In addition, he also will direct education, research and training
at the MIMS Center. Saidel has a broad background in computer modeling
and experience essential for analyzing complex metabolic systems.
The research of Professor Marco Cabrera focuses
on elucidating mechanisms for regulating muscle metabolism during
exercise to improve daily functioning of pediatric patients with
chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disorders. "Non-invasive experiments
that patients can perform without difficulty are analyzed using
computational models of muscle metabolism," said Cabrera. "This
approach is practical and provides insights into the mechanisms
of cellular metabolic regulation."
Cabrera will be responsible for both the experimental
and modeling aspects of skeletal muscle metabolism. He also will
direct the Center's main core in systems and modeling integration.
Professor Henri Brunengraber, chair of the Department
of Nutrition at the Case School of Medicine, leads the experimental
studies of liver metabolism emphasizing the regulation of fat synthesis.
According to Brunengraber, liver cells (hepatocytes) are arranged
in cylinders through which blood passes. Consequently, exchanges
between hepatocytes and blood alter the chemical composition of
blood and hepatocytes.
"We will use mathematical models to account for
these processes which will help in our understanding liver diseases,"
Brunengraber said.
Brunengraber is collaborating with Joanne M.
Belovich, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at CSU and
an expert in modeling of cellular metabolism, who will lead the
computer modeling effort in liver metabolism.
Joseph C. LaManna, Professor of Neurology , chair
of the Department of Anatomy, Case School of Medicine, and Scientist
at the Research Institute of the University Hospitals of Cleveland,
conducts experimental studies on metabolic brain function. He examines
energy demand, energy metabolism and blood flow in the brain to
evaluate the brain's response to pathological insults such as stroke,
hypoxia and seizures.
"Because the regulation of brain metabolism and
blood flow involves complex control systems with many interacting
variables at the cellular and organ level, a computational model
of the brain is essential," Professor LaManna said. "Our computational
model will quantify fundamental mechanisms that are important in
designing therapeutic strategies to reverse neurological dysfunctions
associated with stroke and epileptic seizures."
Lamanna is collaborating with Jorge E. Gatica,
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at CSU, who is an expert
in chemical reaction systems and is primarily responsible for computer
modeling and simulation of brain metabolism.
William C. Stanley, Associate Professor of Physiology
and Biophysics, Case School of Medicine, guides the MIMS Center's
experimental studies in metabolism of the heart. Professor Stanley's
research is aimed at understanding factors regulating myocardial
metabolism during the transition from normal resting conditions
to exercise stress especially without adequate blood flow. His
research assesses how the heart functions with increased work under
disease conditions such as coronary artery disease.
"The MIMS Center provides resources to develop
more realistic computational models of cardiac function and metabolism
for quantitative analysis and design of experiments," said Stanley.
This research is done in collaboration with Cabrera, who is responsible
for computer modeling and simulation of cardiac metabolism.
November 2002
|
