Disease modelling using evolved discriminate function

Precocious diagnosis increases the survival time and patient quality of life. It is a binary classification, exhaustively studied in the literature. This paper innovates proposing the application of genetic programming to obtain a discriminate function. This function contains the disease dynamics used to classify the patients with as little false negative diagnosis as possible. If its value is greater than zero then it means that the patient is ill, otherwise healthy. A graphical representation is proposed to show the influence of each dataset attribute in the discriminate function. The experiment deals with Breast Cancer and Thrombosis & Collagen diseases diagnosis. The main conclusion is that the discriminate function is able to classify the patient using numerical clinical data, and the graphical representation displays patterns that allow understanding of the model

Mesenchymal stem cells and their use as cell replacement therapy and disease modelling tool.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult somatic tissues may differentiate in vitro and in vivo into multiple mesodermal tissues including bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, tendon, ligament or even muscle. MSCs preferentially home to damaged tissues where they exert their therapeutic potential. A striking feature of the MSCs is their low inherent immunogenicity as they induce little, if any, proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Instead, MSCs appear to be immunosuppressive in vitro. Their multilineage differentiation potential coupled to their immuno-privileged properties is being exploited worldwide for both autologous and allogeneic cell replacement strategies. Here, we introduce the readers to the biology of MSCs and the mechanisms underlying immune tolerance. We then outline potential cell replacement strategies and clinical applications based on the MSCs immunological properties. Ongoing clinical trials for graft-versus-host-disease, haematopoietic recovery after co-transplantation of MSCs along with haematopoietic stem cells and tissue repair are discussed. Finally, we review the emerging area based on the use of MSCs as a target cell subset for either spontaneous or induced neoplastic transformation and, for modelling non-haematological mesenchymal cancers such as sarcomas

Disease modelling in human organoids.

The past decade has seen an explosion in the field of in vitro disease modelling, in particular the development of organoids. These self-organizing tissues derived from stem cells provide a unique system to examine mechanisms ranging from organ development to homeostasis and disease. Because organoids develop according to intrinsic developmental programmes, the resultant tissue morphology recapitulates organ architecture with remarkable fidelity. Furthermore, the fact that these tissues can be derived from human progenitors allows for the study of uniquely human processes and disorders. This article and accompanying poster highlight the currently available methods, particularly those aimed at modelling human biology, and provide an overview of their capabilities and limitations. We also speculate on possible future technological advances that have the potential for great strides in both disease modelling and future regenerative strategies

G-Protein coupled receptor signalling in pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiovascular cells: Implications for disease modelling

Human pluripotent stem cell derivatives show promise as an in vitro platform to study a range of human cardiovascular diseases. A better understanding of the biology of stem cells and their cardiovascular derivatives will help to understand the strengths and limitations of this new model system. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key regulators of stem cell maintenance and differentiation and have an important role in cardiovascular cell signaling. In this review, we will therefore describe the state of knowledge concerning the regulatory role of GPCRs in both the generation and function of pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes, -endothelial, and -vascular smooth muscle cells. We will consider how far the in vitro disease models recapitulate authentic GPCR signaling and provide a useful basis for discovery of disease mechanisms or design of therapeutic strategies

Bengkel Bioteknologi

Institut Penyelidikan Matematik, Universiti Putra Malaysia akan menganjurkan Bengkel Disease Modelling di Pusat Pendidikan Luar dan Bilik Seminar Al-Khawarizmi, pada 8 hingga 10 April depan

SERDANG - Bengkel Bioteknologi

Institut Penyelidikan Matematik, Universiti Putra Malaysia akan menganjurkan Bengkel Disease Modelling di Pusar Pendidikan Luar dan Bilik Seminar Al-Khawarizmi, pada 8 hingga 10 April depan

International chicken trade and increased risk for introducing or reintroducing highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) to uninfected countries.

Every year billions of chickens are shipped thousands of miles around the globe in order to meet the ever increasing demands for this cheap and nutritious protein source. Unfortunately, transporting chickens internationally can also increase the chance for introducing zoonotic viruses, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) to new countries. Our study used a retrospective analysis of poultry trading data from 2003 through 2011 to assess the risk of H5N1 poultry infection in an importing country. We found that the risk of infection in an importing country increased by a factor of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1-1.5) for every 10-fold increase in live chickens imported from countries experiencing at least one H5N1 poultry case during that year. These results suggest that the risk in a particular country can be significantly reduced if imports from countries experiencing an outbreak are decreased during the year of infection or if biosecurity measures such as screening, vaccination, and infection control practices are increased. These findings show that limiting trade of live chickens or increasing infection control practices during contagious periods may be an important step in reducing the spread of H5N1 and other emerging avian influenza viruses

Harnessing the Potential of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Gene Editing for the Treatment of Retinal Degeneration

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A major cause of visual disorders is dysfunction and/or loss of the light-sensitive cells of the retina, the photoreceptors. To develop better treatments for patients, we need to understand how inherited retinal disease mutations result in the dysfunction of photoreceptors. New advances in the field of stem cell and gene editing research offer novel ways to model retinal dystrophies in vitro and present opportunities to translate basic biological insights into therapies. This brief review will discuss some of the issues that should be taken into account when carrying out disease modelling and gene editing of retinal cells. We will discuss (i) the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for disease modelling and cell therapy; (ii) the importance of using isogenic iPSC lines as controls; (iii) CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of iPSCs; and (iv) in vivo gene editing using AAV vectors. RECENT FINDINGS: Ground-breaking advances in differentiation of iPSCs into retinal organoids and methods to derive mature light sensitive photoreceptors from iPSCs. Furthermore, single AAV systems for in vivo gene editing have been developed which makes retinal in vivo gene editing therapy a real prospect. SUMMARY: Genome editing is becoming a valuable tool for disease modelling and in vivo gene editing in the retina

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus disease modelling review

Mathematical modelling is used in disease studies to assess the economical impacts of diseases, as well as to better understand the epidemiological dynamics of the biological and environmental factors that are associated with disease spreading. For an incurable disease such as Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE), this knowledge is extremely valuable. However, the application of modelling techniques to CAE disease studies has not been significantly explored in the literature. The purpose of the present work was to review the published studies, highlighting their scope, strengths and limitations, as well to provide ideas for future modelling approaches for studying CAE disease. The reviewed studies were divided into the following two major themes: Mathematical epidemiological modelling and statistical modelling. Regarding the epidemiological modelling studies, two groups of models have been addressed in the literature: With and without the sexual transmission component. Regarding the statistical modelling studies, the reviewed articles varied on modelling assumptions and goals. These studies modelled the dairy production, the CAE risk factors and the hypothesis of CAE being a risk factor for other diseases. Finally, the present work concludes with further suggestions for modelling studies on CAE

Cholangiocarcinoma disease modelling through patients derived organoids

Cancer organoids are 3D phenotypic cultures that can be established from resected or biopsy tumour samples and can be grown as mini tumours in the dish. Flourishing evidence supports the feasibility of patient derived organoids (PDO) from a number of solid tumours. Evidence for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) PDO is still sparse but growing. CCA PDO lines have been established from resected early stage disease, advanced cancers and highly chemorefractory tumours. Cancer PDO was shown to recapitulate the 3D morphology, genomic landscape and transcriptomic profile of the source counterpart. They proved to be a valued model for drug discovery and sensitivity testing, and they showed to mimic the drug response observed in vivo in the patients. However, PDO lack representation of the intratumour heterogeneity and the tumour-stroma interaction. The efficiency rate of CCA PDO within the three different subtypes, intrahepatic, perihilar and distal, is still to be explored. In this manuscript we will review evidence for CCA PDO highlighting advantages and limitations of this novel disease model