Suki Béla, Parameswaran Harikrishnan
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Drug Discov Today Dis Models. 2014 Jul 8;70(27-28):4245-4249. doi: 10.1016/j.ddmod.2014.03.001.
Emphysema is a progressive disease characterized by deterioration of alveolar structure and decline in lung function. While morphometric and molecular biology studies have not fully uncovered the underlying mechanisms, they have produced data to advance computational modeling. In this review, we discuss examples in which modeling has led to novel insight into mechanisms related to disease progression. Finally, we propose a general scheme of multiscale modeling approach that could help unravel the progressive nature of emphysema and provide patient specific mechanisms perhaps suitable for use in treatment therapies.
肺气肿是一种进行性疾病,其特征是肺泡结构恶化和肺功能下降。虽然形态计量学和分子生物学研究尚未完全揭示其潜在机制,但它们已产生数据以推动计算建模。在本综述中,我们讨论了一些例子,其中建模已带来对与疾病进展相关机制的新见解。最后,我们提出了一种多尺度建模方法的总体方案,该方案可能有助于阐明肺气肿的进展性质,并提供可能适用于治疗的患者特异性机制。