Computational modeling
Hopkins biomedical engineering researchers draw on a vast amount of data to design and test novel therapies, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals and clinical procedures.
As vast amounts of genetic and biochemical data become rapidly available, Hopkins biomedical engineering researchers draw on these data each day as they combine the knowledge of the human genome with the massive power of modern computers to construct simulations of human organs. These simulations, or models, will be so realistic that they can be used to design and test novel therapies, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals and clinical procedures.
The objectives of computational modeling are broad, spanning all levels of analysis from regulation of gene expression to the function of organ systems. Researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, along with the biomedical engineers and mathematicians in the Institute for Computational Medicine, have led the way in creating new models, particularly of the heart, with a level of biophysical detail so exacting that the models can help predict the effects of abnormalities and drug interaction at the molecular, cellular and organ levels. These modeling efforts can be expanded to other organs and organ systems and to new levels of integration.
Included in Computational Modeling Research
- Building an integrated computational model of the cell based on studies of cell mechanics, ion channels and cell interactions, which ultimately will help accelerate gene and drug delivery, development and testing of new drugs and therapies, and cell and tissue engineering.
- Using a computational model of the cardiovascular system to understand the fundamental biochemical, biophysical, electrical and mechanical functions of the normal heart, the molecular and genetic origins of heart disease, the electrical and mechanical properties of blood flow in large and small blood vessels, and the development of potential approaches for new cardiovascular drugs.
- Studies of neural information processing, including computational modeling of the encoding and processing of complex sounds by the central nervous system and of processes involved in learning and motor control in the brain.
- Developing novel models of molecular interactions within and between cells; this can lead to controlling cell behavior, such as cell interactions in cancerous tumors that ultimately may affect resistance to chemotherapy.
