The Biophysiologic Modeling Core will have the following primary components: 1) Biophysiologic Data Warehouse (BDW), 2) Biophysiologic Modeling Center (BMC), and 3) Mechanistic Data Warehouse (MDW). The Biophysiologic Data Warehouse will be a database and file repository that provides high-level physiological data coupled with clinical and research data, and will serve as the central data hub for the PPG. The Biophysiologic Modeling Center will contain computational hardware for desktop and high-fidelity parallel computing, and computational software for physics-based computations of esophageal physiology under normal and abnormal conditions. The center will al so house physics-based software for novel in-vivo/in-silico hybrid diagnostic tools based on FLIP and manometry. The primary development work of these mathematical modeling tools will be done in this CORE. In addition, user support to apply these tools to tasks in Project 3 will be provided in this CORE. The goal is the translation of computational biophysics models into clinical practice. To that end, BMC will provide technical support for the following activities: i) software development, ii) fundamental research of organ/system physiology, iii) patient specific analysis and diagnostics, and iv) design and development of next generation diagnostic tools (e. g. FLIP, manometry). Esophageal physiology simulations, performed using the software, will generate data providing insights into the mechanism underlying the normal and abnormal function of the esophagus. These will be termed Mechanistic Data, which will be housed within the MDW. These data will be coupled to physiological and clinical data from the BDW. The mechanistic data will be mapped onto The Chicago Classification of esophageal motility disorders. These data will be important to the development of the Virtual Disease Landscape (VDL) in Project 3.
The current program project grant will focus on developing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of abnormal esophageal wall mechanics and how altered distensibility impacts relevant outcomes. This approach will require sophisticated mathematical models and virtual disease simulations to study the relationship and effect of multiple physiologic, molecular and psychologic mediators. CORE B will house all of the important molecular, physiological, mechanical and psychological biomarker data and the infrastructure to develop tools to study these interactions.
