Beijing's mathematical research team innovatively builds models to uncover the causes of complex diseases

Tech 2023-10-20 22:24:28 Source: Network

Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Liu SuyaHow are complex diseases formed and how should they be effectively prevented and treated? In this research field, there are not only explorations by researchers in biology and medicine, but also figures of mathematicians. Wu Rongling, Researcher at Beijing Yanqi Lake Applied Mathematics Research Institute, and Wu Jie's TeamInnovative use of mathematical methods to construct new models provides new ideas for analyzing the causes of complex diseases, guiding the treatment of complex diseases, and designing related drugs

Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Liu Suya

How are complex diseases formed and how should they be effectively prevented and treated? In this research field, there are not only explorations by researchers in biology and medicine, but also figures of mathematicians. Wu Rongling, Researcher at Beijing Yanqi Lake Applied Mathematics Research Institute, and Wu Jie's TeamInnovative use of mathematical methods to construct new models provides new ideas for analyzing the causes of complex diseases, guiding the treatment of complex diseases, and designing related drugs.On October 20th, the research institute held a press conference to interpret this scientific research achievement.

Behind the occurrence and development of diseases, there are often complex influencing factors, and the etiology and pathogenesis of a large number of diseases are not yet fully understood. The common research method is to analyze the role of a single factor without analyzing the role between factors, "said Wu Rongling. Traditional statistical theory can only reflect the connection between two factors, and cannot analyze the causal and regulatory relationships between the two.To uncover the causes of complex diseases, it is necessary to innovate research methods and construct a systematic explanatory theory.

In order to overcome this challenge, the research team conducted explorations and introduced mathematical theory into the field of disease research. They utilized the GLMY homology theory in algebraic topology and integrated mathematical theories such as directed graph theory to construct the statistical physics network model idopNetworks.

Inflammatory bowel disease includes two types: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Whether there is a shared metabolic mechanism between the two has not been systematically studied. So, inflammatory bowel disease became the first "experimental field" of this model, and after the model "ran", multiple central metabolites and their interaction networks emerged. For example, methylimidazole acetic acid is one of the typical metabolites involved in the synthesis of histamine in the human body, which has the function of inhibiting intestinal inflammatory response; For example, linolenic acid salts are more inhibited in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Through the model, it can be seen that changing the regulatory relationship between metabolites can lead to changes in their own actions. These connections are difficult to see with ordinary research methods, "said Wu Rongling. The model also reveals changes in the interaction relationship between metabolites during the transition between health and disease states, which will provide new targets for drug research. For example, finding drugs that increase the production of linolenic acid salts in the human body could potentially lead to treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.

At this point, the metabolic physics of complex diseases has been proposed, and the relevant research results have recently been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This model is like a big tree, and mathematics is the root, providing a solid theoretical foundation and computational tools for the model. Each branch can also extend to different fields. Each leaf on a branch can be a metabolite, a microorganism, a basic particle, a total domestic production value, and even interpersonal relationships, "said Wu Rongling.

At present, the research team is carrying out in-depth cooperation with Peking Union Medical College, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Biology and Chemistry Cross Research Center and other units, relying on high-quality scientific research data, to explore complex system phenomena and laws "invisible" by traditional methods.In the future, this model is expected to not only benefit medical fields such as human degenerative diseases, cancer pathogenesis research, aging and lifespan research, but also serve many fields such as drug research and development, environmental pollution prevention and control, and new material synthesis, providing universal methods for understanding, analyzing, and predicting complex phenomena.At the same time, Wu Jie believes that application oriented research can also feed back basic mathematics and further explore the topological foundation of complex networks.

"The goal of the Institute is to explore and find the laws existing in nature and human society, and solve the problems arising from them." Qiu Chengtong, president of Yanqi Lake School of Mathematics and foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that theory and equations are the only way for nature to express itself. They are the source of all applied sciences, and will be able to plan the network of modern society. The research institute adopts a research model of 25% basic mathematics and 75% applied mathematics. Currently, it has gathered over a hundred full-time researchers, and it is expected that there will be over 300 researchers in the future. We will bridge the gap through effective, efficient, and cutting-edge methods,Connecting Abstract Mathematics to the Real World

Disclaimer: The content of this article is sourced from the internet. The copyright of the text, images, and other materials belongs to the original author. The platform reprints the materials for the purpose of conveying more information. The content of the article is for reference and learning only, and should not be used for commercial purposes. If it infringes on your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us promptly and we will handle it as soon as possible! We respect copyright and are committed to protecting it. Thank you for sharing.(Email:[email protected])

Mobile advertising space rental

Tag: Beijing mathematical research team innovatively builds models to uncover