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Research

Biological systems - including the simplest cells - exhibit a broad range of functions to thrive in their environment. Research in the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology is focused on the possibility of engineering the underlying biochemical processes to solve many of the challenges facing society, from healthcare to sustainable energy. In particular, we model, analyse, design and build biological and biochemical systems in living cells and/or in cell extracts, both exploring and enhancing the engineering potential of biology.

As part of our research we develop novel methods to accelerate the celebrated Design-Build-Test-Learn synthetic biology cycle. As such research in the Centre for Synthetic Biology highly multi- and interdisciplinary covering computational modelling and machine learning approaches; automated platform development and genetic circuit engineering ; multi-cellular and multi-organismal interactions, including gene drive and genome engineering; metabolic engineering; in vitro/cell-free synthetic biology; engineered phages and directed evolution; and biomimetics, biomaterials and biological engineering.

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Tanaka:2018:10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.002,
author = {Tanaka, G and Dominguez-Huttinger, E and Christodoulides, P and Kazuyuki, A and Tanaka, RJ},
doi = {10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.002},
journal = {Journal of Theoretical Biology},
pages = {66--79},
title = {Bifurcation analysis of a mathematical model of atopic dermatitis to determine patient-specific effects of treatments on dynamic phenotypes},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.002},
volume = {448},
year = {2018}
}

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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease, whose incidence is currently increasing worldwide. AD has a complex etiology, involving genetic, environmental, immunological, and epidermal factors, andits pathogenic mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. Identificationof AD risk factors and systematic understanding of their interactions arerequired for exploring effective prevention and treatment strategies for AD.We recently developed a mathematical model for AD pathogenesis to clarifymechanisms underlying AD onset and progression. This model describes adynamic interplay between skin barrier, immune regulation, and environmental stress, and reproduced four types of dynamic behaviour typically observed in AD patients in response to environmental triggers. Here, we analyse bifurcations of the model to identify mathematical conditions for the system to demonstrate transitions between different types of dynamic behaviour that reflect respective severity of AD symptoms. By mathematically modelling effects of topical application of antibiotics, emollients, corticosteroids, and their combinations with different application schedules and doses, bifurcation analysis allows us to mathematically evaluate effects of the treatments on improving AD symptoms in terms of the patients' dynamic behaviour. The mathematical method developed in this study can be used to explore and improve patient-specific personalised treatment strategies to control AD symptoms.
AU  - Tanaka,G
AU  - Dominguez-Huttinger,E
AU  - Christodoulides,P
AU  - Kazuyuki,A
AU  - Tanaka,RJ
DO  - 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.002
EP  - 79
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 0022-5193
SP  - 66
TI  - Bifurcation analysis of a mathematical model of atopic dermatitis to determine patient-specific effects of treatments on dynamic phenotypes
T2  - Journal of Theoretical Biology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.002
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/58839
VL  - 448
ER  -