SBIR-STTR Award

Numerical Tools for Analyzing Cell Signalling Circuits in Normal and Tumor Cells
Award last edited on: 4/3/19

Sponsored Program
STTR
Awarding Agency
NIH : NIBIB
Total Award Amount
$300,000
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
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Principal Investigator
Paul J Jasper

Company Information

Numerica Technology LLC (AKA: RES Group Inc~Numerica Technology Inc)

11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
   (617) 621-1085
   info@numericatech.com
   www.numericatech.com

Research Institution

Harvard Medical

Phase I

Contract Number: 1R41EB008414-01A1
Start Date: 8/1/09    Completed: 7/31/11
Phase I year
2009
Phase I Amount
$150,000
Numerical Tools for analyzing cell signaling circuits in normal and tumor cells The proposal, part I of a phased STTR award, describes the development of software tools, workflow and proof-of-principle case studies for detailed kinetic modeling of cell signaling pathways (and similarly complex biological processes). The most critical step in building kinetic models of real biological processes is optimizing the match between model prediction and experimental data. Achieving this optimization requires efficient means to explore alternative pathway topologies (which give rise to the structure of the model) and to "calibrate" models to data (which constrains model parameters). We address both of these problems with particular emphasis on the algorithms and software needed to perform calibration of highly parametric models based on deterministic ordinary differential equations. The size of these models, the incompleteness of experimental data, and the wide range of time scales makes effective extremely calibration challenging both in theory and in practice, making the proposal innovative and significant with respect to both its biology and its applied mathematics The project is a close collaboration between a software company (Numerical) with deep expertise in chemical modeling, combustion engineering and numerical simulation and two systems biology groups (Sorger and Gunawardena) with expertise in experimental biology and computer science respectively. Three phase I specific aims include (1) Development of the Lisp-based little b programming environment as a means to represents biological pathways and multi-component protein complexes in a rapidly- revised, reusable form suitable (2) Optimizing numerical analysis tools for calibration of biological models with a sophisticated workflow and new algorithms for adjoint-based sensitivity analysis and global parameter estimation (3) Methods for validating models and applying key findings to significant problems in systems pharmacology and drug discovery.

Public Health Relevance:
This Public Health Relevance is not available.

Thesaurus Terms:
There Are No Thesaurus Terms On File For This Project.

Phase II

Contract Number: 5R41EB008414-02
Start Date: 8/1/09    Completed: 7/31/11
Phase II year
2010
Phase II Amount
$150,000
Numerical Tools for analyzing cell signaling circuits in normal and tumor cells The proposal, part I of a phased STTR award, describes the development of software tools, workflow and proof-of-principle case studies for detailed kinetic modeling of cell signaling pathways (and similarly complex biological processes). The most critical step in building kinetic models of real biological processes is optimizing the match between model prediction and experimental data. Achieving this optimization requires efficient means to explore alternative pathway topologies (which give rise to the structure of the model) and to calibrate models to data (which constrains model parameters). We address both of these problems with particular emphasis on the algorithms and software needed to perform calibration of highly parametric models based on deterministic ordinary differential equations. The size of these models, the incompleteness of experimental data, and the wide range of time scales makes effective extremely calibration challenging both in theory and in practice, making the proposal innovative and significant with respect to both its biology and its applied mathematics The project is a close collaboration between a software company (Numerical) with deep expertise in chemical modeling, combustion engineering and numerical simulation and two systems biology groups (Sorger and Gunawardena) with expertise in experimental biology and computer science respectively. Three phase I specific aims include (1) Development of the Lisp-based little b programming environment as a means to represents biological pathways and multi-component protein complexes in a rapidly- revised, reusable form suitable (2) Optimizing numerical analysis tools for calibration of biological models with a sophisticated workflow and new algorithms for adjoint-based sensitivity analysis and global parameter estimation (3) Methods for validating models and applying key findings to significant problems in systems pharmacology and drug discovery.

Thesaurus Terms:
"active Follow-Up; Address; Algorithms; Area; Attention; Award; Biological; Biological Function; Biological Models; Biological Process; Biology; Breast Cancer Cell; Calibration; Cancers; Case Study; Cell Communication And Signaling; Cell Signaling; Cellular Biology; Chemical Models; Collaborations; Complex; Computer Programs; Computer Software Tools; Computer Software; Data; Development; Development And Research; Discipline; Drug Delivery; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Targeting; Drug Targetings; Drugs; Engineering; Engineerings; Environment; Equation; Goals; Hand; Human Breast Cancer Cell; Ic50; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Intracellular Communication And Signaling; Intuition; Kinetic; Kinetics; Language; Link; Lung; Malignant Cell; Malignant Neoplasms; Malignant Tumor; Mathematics; Medication; Method Loinc Axis 6; Methodology; Methods; Model System; Modeling; Models, Biologic; Output; Pathway Interactions; Pharmaceutic Preparations; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmacology; Phase; Principal Investigator; Process; Programs (Pt); Programs [publication Type]; Property; Property, Loinc Axis 2; R & D; R&D; Reaction; Respiratory System, Lung; Sttr; Sampling; Science; Scientist; Signal Pathway; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction Pathway; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; Simulate; Small Business Technology Transfer Research; Software; Software Tools; Structure; System; System, Loinc Axis 4; Systems Biology; Testing; Therapeutic; Therapeutic Index; Time; Tools, Software; Tumor Cell; Validation; Work; Writing; Base; Biochemical Model; Biological Signal Transduction; Cancer Cell; Case Report; Cell Biology; Clinical Decision-Making; Computer Program/Software; Computer Science; Computerized Data Processing; Data Processing; Design; Designing; Develop Software; Developing Computer Software; Drug Discovery; Drug/Agent; Flexibility; Follow-Up; Innovate; Innovation; Innovative; Malignancy; Medical Schools; Member; Model Development; Neoplasm/Cancer; Neoplastic Cell; Pathway; Programs; Protein Complex; Pulmonary; Research And Development; Signal Processing; Simulation; Small Molecule; Software Development; Theories; Tool"