PROCESSORS

Entelos, a biotech company pioneering in silico research and the use of computer models to advance pharmaceutical research and development, announced it will develop an in silico model of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse, the primary animal model used by researchers to study type 1 diabetes. Dr. Mikhail Gishizky, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer for Entelos, stated, "Translational medicine -- translating observations made in preclinical animal model systems to human in vivo responses -- is a complex issue posing significant challenges to the development of therapeutics for treating human disease." Currently, the pharmaceutical industry is utilizing a variety of animal model systems ranging from worms (C. elegans) and zebrafish to genetically or environmentally modified mammals such as the NOD mouse. Although animal models provide insights into the pathophysiology of human disease, the complex feedback and compensatory mechanisms along with the dynamics of the biologic response can significantly differ both qualitatively and quantitatively between mice and man. Therefore the ability of animal models to accurately represent the human disease condition and predict human response to therapy has been disappointing. Dr. Gishizky continued, "In the case of the NOD mouse, many therapies that have looked promising in this animal model have not demonstrated efficacy in treating patients with type 1 diabetes. The pharmaceutical industry recognizes that new and innovative ways need to be developed to accurately 'translate' what is observed in preclinical models to human response. The drug developer needs to know, 'if the mouse gets better, will the patient?' Entelos' bio-simulation modeling technology and approach can help them make that determination." The model will be built in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and a Scientific Advisory Board they selected to guide and oversee the development of the NOD PhysioLab platform. The platform will advance the understanding of type 1 diabetes in the NOD mouse and permit the translation of data and results generated from that animal model into likely human responses under similar conditions (i.e. specific drug therapies). This will facilitate more efficient and effective research into the prevention of type 1 diabetes. Entelos' PhysioLab systems biology platforms are complex mathematical models that integrate information from various scientific and clinical sources to represent the complex and dynamic relationships within human biological networks. This collaboration with the ADA marks the first time Entelos will build an in silico animal model to assist scientific researchers in their efforts to interpret effects seen in NOD mice to those effects expected to occur in humans. Researchers studying disease onset and progression, in the hopes of discovering a therapeutic treatment or prevention, use animal models as an alternative to the practical considerations in studying humans who suffer from the same condition. However, limitations in disease pathophysiology due to species differences often result in dramatic discrepancies between animal and human therapeutic responses. An in silico animal model will highlight these distinctions thus allowing for more effective translation into human interventions. Entelos' systems biology approach to translational medicine is extendable to other animal models and other disease areas (i.e. central nervous system diseases). In particular, this approach is invaluable in those cases where human data is limited due to the inability to collect and measure human biological responses in vivo. In silico animal models can quickly and quantitatively link observed animal behaviors with predicted human response. "The NOD PhysioLab platform will empower researchers to study the mouse model in silico and help them bridge the gap between animals and patients with type 1 diabetes," continued Gishizky. "This collaboration, with the ADA and their Scientific Advisory Board, will once again put Entelos and its technology at the forefront of in silico drug discovery and development. The PhysioLab platform will become the preeminent systems biology platform for translational medicine upon which insights into the human pathophysiology of a disease can be generated."