Major
Bioinformatics
Anticipated Graduation Year
2024
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Microglia, which are immune cells of the CNS, are critical to maintaining the integrity of nervous system and are stimulated into action after detection of damaged/dying cells and foreign pathogens. Recent literature has implicated the role of dysregulated PI3K/AKT dynamics in promoting inflammatory microglia that chronically promote damaging neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease. I have designed a computational model that can help elucidate the intrinsic biochemical mechanisms and kinetics of the PI3K/AKT pathway that govern the microglial states. I plan to use the in-silico model to study the therapeutic potential of manipulating this pathway’s biochemical kinetics to slow neurodegenerative disease progression.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr., Peter Kekenes-Huskey
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
A Dynamic Model of the PI3K/AKT/PTEN Axis in Pathological Microglial Phenotype
Microglia, which are immune cells of the CNS, are critical to maintaining the integrity of nervous system and are stimulated into action after detection of damaged/dying cells and foreign pathogens. Recent literature has implicated the role of dysregulated PI3K/AKT dynamics in promoting inflammatory microglia that chronically promote damaging neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease. I have designed a computational model that can help elucidate the intrinsic biochemical mechanisms and kinetics of the PI3K/AKT pathway that govern the microglial states. I plan to use the in-silico model to study the therapeutic potential of manipulating this pathway’s biochemical kinetics to slow neurodegenerative disease progression.