e:Med Online-Seminar: "Modeling approaches for disease processes"

Abstract:
In the Lab for Metabolic Signaling at the Research Center One Health Ruhr, we investigate how environmental factors – in particular nutrients and chemical stressors – influence cellular signaling, metabolism and stress responses. Focusing on signaling networks centered on the metabolic master regulator and cancer driver mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), our central goal is to understand the mechanisms via which environmental cues modulate disease course and therapy response in cancer and rare neurodevelopmental conditions. Our research is at the center of a modern molecular understanding of One Health, aiming to elucidate the mode of action via which nutrient status, drug therapies and environmental chemicals that act on the hormone system and metabolism (so called metabolism disrupting chemicals, MDC) impinge on disease-relevant signaling networks and harm human health. To tackle this challenge, we take a multidisciplinary approach that combines mechanistic cell biological and biochemical studies with the development of new analytical approaches for integrated proteo-metabolomics, and systems modeling to integrate data at mechanistic and multi-omics scale. With the H2020 MESI-STRAT and BMFTR BALANCE-ET consortia we investigate molecular mechanisms of metabolic signaling and therapy response. In longitudinal breast cancer cohorts, we study the linkage between shifted tumor and whole-body metabolism and long term survivorship, relapse, and quality of life during and after endocrine therapies. Within the PARC consortium, we discover mechanisms of action for MDCs and translate our findings to analytical methods for medium and high throughput screening of the metabolism disrupting potential of chemicals. I will present our latest analytical developments and examples for their application. 

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