Crack the cell protection code
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Imagine a day when any tissue or organ could be repaired or the replacement personalized for the patient.
That is one of the goals of research conducted by David Umulis of Purdue University and a team of scientists using artificial intelligence in biology to see how cells defend themselves from attack. chemical or mechanical and/or repair their damage with the help of biochemical and mechanical inputs. and react.
If this is successful, Umulis says, scientists may have a new way to tackle the problem of human health and longevity.
“If you can tap into a network and modify three or four sites at the same time, then the ability to treat a disease or injury is improved when you signal all the pathways simultaneously,” he said. this different biology.
Unlock new potentials
Umulis uses AI in several of its biomedical engineering projects, including image quantification and simulation of growing cells. He finds that it gives better results, sooner and faster, and can be inexpensive compared to hours of simulating cell features.
But he wants to innovate and push harder. The Emerging Mechanisms in Aggression, Integration & Organizational Biology Institute (EMBRIO) will use AI to extend biology and engineering by exploring how cellular signals are integrated to counteract invaders or triggers to repair wounds, both of which are necessary for survival.
“I wanted the EMBRIO team to be known as the team that decoded how cells organize to change,” said Umulis, EMBRIO project manager, professor and head of Purdue’s Dane A. Miller. structure, function, protection and repair of tissues. Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. “The network where cells make those decisions and how it is replicated and replicated throughout the animal kingdom remains a great mystery. Integrating laboratory testing with the simulation and data collection methods we have is really the best way to tackle such a large-scale fundamental bioprocessing question.”
Purdue serves as the main site for the EMBRIO Institute, which has received $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) over five years as part of the agency’s Biological Integration Institute (BII) program mandarin. The partner institutions are Indiana University, Morehouse College, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, Ponce University of Health Sciences (Puerto Rico), and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Morehouse, Ponce and Mayagüez are essential to expanding the contributions of traditionally underrepresented populations throughout the EMBRIO Institute.
Wilson Francisco, Ph. .D., program director in the Directorate of Biological Sciences at NSF. “It will also provide new models of training that are effective, comprehensive, and prepare the next generations of scientists to navigate diverse fields in the biological sciences and STEM in general. By combining experimental biology, theory, computation and modeling, in addition to training and educating a diverse group of students, EMBRIO holds the potential to advance biology, biotechnology and force biological science workforce.”
As director, Umulis will coordinate and empower researchers and students to find new ways to use AI in mobile organizational cracking.
“We can do a lot more for a lot less,” he said. “That allowed us to think about tackling how cells compute and then how cells are paired, leading to these large-scale tissue changes.”
With AI, Umulis and scientists can use full 3D simulations of biological structures to establish predictive capabilities. This allows them to see how the shape of the networks and tissues can change.
They can then link different biological systems together – such as cell chemistry and chemical, mechanical signaling and mechanical changes – to better predict outcomes in these systems. more complex system.
“We’re getting to the point where we know how a tissue grows, shapes and forms something with the right structure and function based on genotype, genetics and signaling pathways,” says Umulis. . “Biology can use all of this synergistically across life and development stages. The way they do it is an incredible synchronicity that can only be exploited through a combination of simulation and AI.”
EMBRIO’s biosystems team collects data for immediate simulations – such as plants resisting invading fungi or tens of thousands of cells signaling each other to heal wounds. However, developing models to incorporate different discoveries will take time.
“We will use each biological system to gather the best data we can to answer how cells respond together to fight possible attacks. . How is the wound closed? How can we speed that up? How do cells coordinate tissue remodeling processes for embryonic development or to repair and restore function of cells, tissues or organs? This is the most important part of life,” he said.
Build about strengths in AI and biomedical engineering
The biology and AI industries will double in size every five years, says Umulis, meaning biology, engineering and science students coming to EMBRIO will now be cutting-edge leaders in 10 years. next.
Umulis has assembled a team of specialized engineers and scientists who will work with and inspire students on these new techniques and address future workforce development needs. future.
One of the institutional partners involved is Morehouse College, a historically Black liberal arts college and university (HBCU) in Atlanta.
Juana Mendenhall, the Walter E. Massey Professor of Physical Sciences at Morehouse University, is one of the research partners who will conduct the EMBRIO research in her Morehouse lab. She brings her expertise in chemistry and materials fabrication along with nanobiotechnology using atomic force microscopy to study biological processes to the project.
In addition to the core research Mendenhall will conduct with the institute, she also sees many positives for her students. She says they can get hands-on opportunities by enhancing their lab techniques and learning new software for computational modeling and data science visualization. These will help them grow into scientists.
“The ability to engage and train HBCU students in AI at the intersection of STEM while using methods used in biology and biomedical engineering is essential to our students at Morehouse,” Mendenhall said. . “Our students need to see the synergy between the natural sciences, the life sciences and engineering.
“In partnership with Purdue, Morehouse will have access to cutting-edge technology and tools to help study these processes. This will further enhance students’ knowledge and exposure to the emerging field of integrative biology.”
The leaders of Umulis and EMBRIO also plan to use existing open source programs but will develop additional biology and AI programs for students.
Additional PI is Janice Evans, Chris Staiger, Stephanie Gardner and Alejandra Magana (Purdue), and team leaders Mauricio Cabrera (University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez), James Glazer (IU), Clara Isaza (Ponce University of Health Sciences), Mary Mullins (Penn), and Jeremiah Zartman (Notre Dame).
Writers, Media Contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (mobile), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
Source: David Umulis, dumulis@purdue.edu
Juana Mendenhall, juana.mendenhall@morehouse.edu