Final Progress Report

Proposal No. IBD-0221R
Principal Investigator:  Liam O'Mahony, Ph.D.
Applicant Organization:  University College Cork (Ireland)
Project Title:  Building a computation modeling foundation for emerging information for inflammatory bowel disease
Period of Award:  January 7, 2008 – March 6, 2009

Lay Summary 

We have initiated a novel computer simulation to support fundamental research and product development to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The simulation is focused on how the body responds to bacterial danger signals in the gut, in particular we examined the response of one cell that is part of the first line of defense, the dendritic cell.   We mapped the interactions of molecules inside the cell that result in the production of proteins that regulate the response of our immune system to bacteria. We used laboratory models to check the simulation predictions and found that the laboratory data and the simulation results were in agreement. This map will become the blueprint for future more complex computer simulations which will incorporate addition molecules and proteins that are present within immune cells. This computer simulation is important because the development of some forms of inflammatory bowel disease appears to involve a breakdown in the immune response, such that protective and danger signals from intestinal bacteria are misinterpreted, and a misplaced, tissue-damaging response is launched. A computer simulation is required that can accurately model the complex multiple interactions that govern the cellular response to bacteria and will aid in the understanding of complex cell behavior and serve as the foundation of an evolving simulation to support research and new drug development in inflammatory bowel disease.