Most of us view inflammation in our bodies as something to avoid at all cost. Severe inflammatory situations such as sepsis, also known as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), is a serious medical condition caused by the body’s response to an infection. Sepsis can lead to organ failure, gangrene, and even death.
Clearly inflammation has a bad rap…but some inflammation can be good. It is essential to the healing process, and it is essential to understand inflammation to predict how drugs (new and proposed) impact healing.
In today’s podcast, Dr. Yoram Vodovotz discusses the research that he and his colleagues are pursuing to model inflammatory responses in the body. They have used these models to successfully predict the outcomes of drug trials.
While scientists and clinicians can’t know in advance what the outcome of a drug trial is, modeling and simulation can be a great tool to give a preliminary look. Such simulated clinical trials are attractive, as traditional drug trials are time consuming and may cost $50 -$100 million. Through modeling, it is possible to rule out which drugs may not work well in advance of the traditional drug trial. In addition the modeling tools of Dr. Vodovotz and his colleagues can be an asset in rational drug design, helping to define what characteristics the new drug should have.
For more information about Dr. Vodovotz’s work, please click here.
Hosts Leah Kauffman and John Murphy. Interview by Leah Kauffman.
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