Undergraduate Researcher

Research working title: Computational Tools to Understand the TGFB Signaling Pathways

We are developing computational models of cell signal transduction cascades. We are modeling the TGFb signaling pathways, its inhibition by MAP kinase cascade, and its transformation from a tumor suppressor to a tumor promoter in cancer cells metastasized from breast cancer.  Our work involved importing metadata from online model repositories into multiple modeling environments, extending the models to simulate crosstalk between pathways, and comparing simulation results from different modeling tools.

Example of some of the questions Howard is thinking about: Are concentration ratios of kinases in cascade different for each specific MAP pathway? Should we consider T constant or are local variations a factor (ie. accute inflammation)?