 |
|
Pitt Team Receives $2.5 Million to Simulate and Analyze Brain, Immune System Activity and Apply Math to Medical Problems
June 25, 2008Models of how systems evolve and function under certain conditions could lead to better medical understanding of when and how to treat patients
PITTSBURGH-In an effort to promote the application of mathematics to medical treatment, researchers in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Mathematics will undertake a $2.5 million project to create models of how the brain and immune system function and change over time in response to certain illnesses, infections, and treatment. The models are intended to help doctors better understand and predict the possible short- and long-term responses of their patient's body to treatment.
The National Science Foundation awarded University professor G. Bard Ermentrout, assistant professor Beatrice Riviere, associate professor Jonathan Rubin, assistant professor David Swigon, and professor and interim chair Ivan Yotov a nearly $1.8 million Research Training Group (RTG) award. The RTG includes resources for creating training programs for mathematics students wherein they would work with physicians and biologists to help resolve complicated medical problems through mathematics. Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences-which houses the mathematics department-provided additional funds.
The team will create a variety of computer models based on differential equations-which predict how systems evolve over time-with the medical guidance of scientists and doctors in Pitt's Departments of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience, the Pitt School of Medicine, and UPMC, said Rubin, a coinvestigator on the project.
The immune system models will plot the various chemical and physical changes that occur as the body battles influenza, inflammation, sepsis and necrosis, and wounds. Ultimately, Rubin explained, the researchers want to pinpoint the origin of such conditions as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (multiple organ failure), a potentially deadly, uncontrollable inflammation that usually strikes ailing patients with compromised immune systems.
"Infection and inflammation kill people in the intensive care unit," Rubin said. "We hope that by building this model and calculating how to control the system, we can help doctors design a clinical strategy for intervention based on a condition's progression."
The neurological models will outline the typical course of activity in various brain regions, communication among brain cells, and time-dependent changes in the synapses-the small gaps between cells through which they communicate. The team will look for how electrical signals and brain waves transmit between brain cells and, in turn, the manner in which those impulses alter the cells.
One clinical application, Rubin said, would be for improving therapies for neurological conditions, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), which manipulates brain activity via a surgically implanted device that emits electric pulses. Despite DBS' effectiveness in treating such conditions as chronic pain and Parkinson's disease, how it works remains unknown, Rubin said. Once the pathways of brain activity are exposed, he continued, doctors could observe how DBS functions and better control the electrical currents to avoid the known psychological side effects.
The complicated models simulate the extensive, constant interaction of various cells and organs operating on multiple time scales, from the immeasurably swift to a full day. The complexity of these models will require the development of new simulation and mathematical techniques, but the work could apply to several other biological systems.
"We're exploring mathematical and computational territory that has not been understood yet," Rubin said. "For instance, the brain contains millions of neurons that in turn contain very small molecules [neurotransmitters]. This network functions on a time scale measured in submilliseconds, a scale so small that no one can really grasp how short it is. At the same time, the brain manages and abides by the circadian rhythm, the body's 24-hour cycle.
"If we make a breakthrough on how to map these time scales, it would apply to multiple systems," Rubin added.
University of Pittsburgh
The team will create a variety of computer models based on differential equations-which predict how systems evolve over time-with the medical guidance of scientists and doctors in Pitt's Departments of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience, the Pitt School of Medicine, and UPMC, said Rubin, a coinvestigator on the project.
The immune system models will plot the various chemical and physical changes that occur as the body battles influenza, inflammation, sepsis and necrosis, and wounds. Ultimately, Rubin explained, the researchers want to pinpoint the origin of such conditions as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (multiple organ failure), a potentially deadly, uncontrollable inflammation that usually strikes ailing patients with compromised immune systems.
"Infection and inflammation kill people in the intensive care unit," Rubin said. "We hope that by building this model and calculating how to control the system, we can help doctors design a clinical strategy for intervention based on a condition's progression."
The neurological models will outline the typical course of activity in various brain regions, communication among brain cells, and time-dependent changes in the synapses-the small gaps between cells through which they communicate. The team will look for how electrical signals and brain waves transmit between brain cells and, in turn, the manner in which those impulses alter the cells.
One clinical application, Rubin said, would be for improving therapies for neurological conditions, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), which manipulates brain activity via a surgically implanted device that emits electric pulses. Despite DBS' effectiveness in treating such conditions as chronic pain and Parkinson's disease, how it works remains unknown, Rubin said. Once the pathways of brain activity are exposed, he continued, doctors could observe how DBS functions and better control the electrical currents to avoid the known psychological side effects.
The complicated models simulate the extensive, constant interaction of various cells and organs operating on multiple time scales, from the immeasurably swift to a full day. The complexity of these models will require the development of new simulation and mathematical techniques, but the work could apply to several other biological systems.
"We're exploring mathematical and computational territory that has not been understood yet," Rubin said. "For instance, the brain contains millions of neurons that in turn contain very small molecules [neurotransmitters]. This network functions on a time scale measured in submilliseconds, a scale so small that no one can really grasp how short it is. At the same time, the brain manages and abides by the circadian rhythm, the body's 24-hour cycle.
"If we make a breakthrough on how to map these time scales, it would apply to multiple systems," Rubin added.
University of Pittsburgh
Mathematics Current Events and Mathematics News RSSHuman genomics in China
Ten years ago, the Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai (South Center, hereafter) was established in the Zhangjiang HiTech Park of Pudong District in Shanghai. To commemorate this important event, which marks the beginning of the Genomics Era in China, we specially organize a series of mini-reviews for this special issue.
Case Western Reserve professor helps control infectious diseases with models and math
Can an algebraic equation hold the secret to eradicating malaria or schistosomiasis? A Case Western Reserve University mathematics professor is utilizing the combination of algorithms and models in an effort to assist his medical colleagues in the fight against infectious diseases.
Dartmouth researchers develop computational tool to untangle complex data
A group of Dartmouth researchers have developed a mathematical tool that can be used to unscramble the underlying structure of time-dependent, interrelated, complex data, like the votes of legislators over their careers, second-by-second activity of the stock market, or levels of oxygenated blood flow in the brain.
The year of the Alaska volcano: Eruptions keep observatory busy
Three Alaska volcanoes erupted in midsummer 2008. Cleveland, Okmok and Kasatochi volcanoes, all located in Alaska's Aleutian Chain, made for a hectic 20th anniversary for the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Oregon theory may help design tomorrow's sustainable polymer
Tomorrow's specialty plastics may be produced more precisely and cheaply thanks to the apparently tight merger of a theory by a University of Oregon chemist and years of unexplained data from real world experiments involving polymers in Europe.
Computation and genomics data drive bacterial research into new golden age
A potent combination of powerful new analysis methods and abundant data from genomics projects is carrying microbiology forward into a new era.
Scripps Research Scientists Shed Light on How DNA Is Unwound So That Its Code Can Be Read
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have figured out how a macromolecular machine is able to unwind the long and twisted tangles of DNA within a cell's nucleus so that genetic information can be "read" and used to direct the synthesis of proteins, which have many specific functions in the body.
Systems biology brings hope of speeding up drug development
Almost every day brings news of an apparent breakthrough against cancer, infectious diseases, or metabolic conditions like diabetes, but these rarely translate into effective therapies or drugs, and even if they do clinical development usually takes well over a decade.
Oak Ridge supercomputer is the world's fastest for science
A Cray XT high-performance computing system at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the world's fastest supercomputer for science.
Battling bacteria in the blood: Researchers tackle deadly infections
It's a leading cause of death, but no one knows for sure how and why it happens. It's a major source of health care costs, adding days or weeks to the hospital stays and lost work time of millions of people. But no one fully understands how best to fight it.
More Mathematics Current Events and Mathematics News Articles
 | The Princeton Companion to Mathematics This is a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone with a serious interest in mathematics. Edited by Timothy Gowers, a recipient of the Fields Medal, it presents nearly two hundred entries, written especially for this book by some of the world's leading mathematicians, that introduce basic mathematical tools and vocabulary; trace the development of modern mathematics; explain essential terms and... |
| Student's Solutions Manual for A Survey of Mathematics with Applications by Elka Block, Frank Purcell, Dennis Runde - This for-sale manual contains solutions to all odd-numbered exercises and to all review and chapter test... | |
 | Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (7th Edition) (MyLabSchool Series) by John A. Van de Walle, Karen S. Karp, Jennifer M. Bay Williams "It is fun to figure out the puzzle of how children go about making sense of mathematics and then how to help teachers help kids." John A. Van de Walle, Late of Virginia Commonwealth University This is the philosophy behind Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. John A. Van de Walle wrote this book to help students understand mathematics and become confident in... |
 | Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Kenneth Rosen Discrete Mathematics and its Applications, Sixth Edition, is intended for one- or two-term introductory discrete mathematics courses taken by students from a wide variety of majors, including computer science, mathematics, and engineering. This renowned best-selling text, which has been used at over 500 institutions around the world, gives a focused introduction to the primary themes in a... |
 | Using and Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach (4th Edition) by Jeffrey O. Bennett, William L. Briggs Most students taking this course do so to fulfill a requirement, but the true benefit of the course is learning how to use and understand mathematics in daily life. This quantitative reasoning text is written expressly for those students, providing them with the mathematical reasoning and quantitative literacy skills they'll need to make good decisions throughout their lives. Common-sense... |
 | Discrete Mathematics with Applications by Susanna S. Epp Susanna Epp's DISCRETE MATHEMATICS, THIRD EDITION provides a clear introduction to discrete mathematics. Renowned for her lucid, accessible prose, Epp explains complex, abstract concepts with clarity and precision. This book presents not only the major themes of discrete mathematics, but also the reasoning that underlies mathematical thought. Students develop the ability to think abstractly as... |
 | Excursions In Modern Mathematics with Mini-Excursions (6th Edition) by Peter Tannenbaum For undergraduate courses in Liberal Arts Mathematics, Quantitative Literacy, and General Education. NEW: Now with “Mini-Excursions” Included! These are enrichment topics that have been added at the end of each part and require an understanding of the core material covered in one or more of the chapters. Shorter than a full chapter but much more substantive than an appendix.... |
 | Advanced Engineering Mathematics, Student Solutions Manual and Study Guide by Erwin Kreyszig This market leading text is known for its comprehensive coverage, careful and correct mathematics, outstanding exercises and self contained subject matter parts for maximum flexibility. Thoroughly updated and streamlined to reflect new developments in the field, the ninth edition of this bestselling text features modern engineering applications and the uses of technology. Kreyszig... |
 | About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition by Marilyn Burns A compendium of more than 240 classroom-tested lessons, this essential resource helps teachers build student understanding and skills and understand how children best learn math. In this third edition, Marilyn Burns has completely revised the first section to reflect what she has learned over the years from her classroom experience with students and her professional development experience with... |
 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Contemporary Approach by Gary L. Musser, Blake E. Peterson, William F. Burger Now in its eighth edition, this book masterfully integrates skills, concepts, and activities to motivate learning. It emphasizes the relevance of mathematics to help readers learn the importance of the information being covered. This approach ensures that they develop a sold mathematics foundation and discover how to apply the content in the real... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |