Paridhi Latawa

Biological Modeling of Rheumatoid Arthritis & FBXO48

Started Jan. 22, 2021

Abstract or project description

Biological computational modeling is an important subfield in systems biology that is vital to better understand and analyze interactions in biological systems for better disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

Inspired by my close family member's fight with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and the need to find specific and effective early-stage treatments for the disease, I explored interactions of pathways and genes in RA to better understand how mutations, drugs, and variable gene expression affect RA progression and accordingly contribute toward targeted solutions. I will start by depicting published models and pathways through Python Colab. Further, based on my previous research on RA, I will incorporate various perturbations such as potential biomarkers, drug targets, and mutations into the model. I will then analyze how these specific variations affect the pathways and interactions. Data will be taken from gene expression datasets, published materials, and databases like KEGG or Reactome. A successful paper will further confirm potential drug targets or identify specific novel pathway interactions that could serve as effective targets for RA treatments.

Motivated by the need to better understand the functions of genes in the human genome, I hope to deduce a biological model of the interactions of the FBXO48 gene with other genes in specific pathways. Through analyzing gene expression datasets, I will determine the functionality of the FBXO48 gene in pathway interactions. The general methodology of this project will first include finding gene expression datasets and utilizing information already collated on the general interactions of the gene to deduce hypothesized mathematical models of the gene and its interactions. Based on heat maps or other data collected, I will work to finalize the mathematical models. A successful project will have proposed the functionality of the FBXO48 gene in pathway interactions, oncogenic relationships, and associated diseases. As this gene has not been studied extensively before, I hope to publish a paper on my findings.

(Will update with Pari's description once she sends to me!)

Pari is interested in two different topics: Rheumatoid arthritis and the FBXO48 gene, a gene whose function is poorly understood. Pari will use biological computational modeling in order to investigate the biological mechanisms involved in RA and the FBXO gene. Working off models in the literature, she will investigate how different perturbations affect the RA phenotype. She will develop hypotheses for the structure of a FBXO48 model, and validate it with publicly available biological data.