Integrative Genomics and Chronic Disease Phenotypes: modelling and simulation tools for clinicians 

The omics revolution of recent years has led to an explosion of data.  This information, however, is currently fragmented, which limits progress on the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of complex chronic disorders.  A major constraint for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the biomedical field is the lack of appropriate tools for data integration and simultaneous analysis of different levels of information. BioBridge proposes to tackle this problem with the creation of the BioBridge portal, where 1) structured databases including genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic information for the metabolic pathways affected by these disorders will be 2) integrated to model the underlying metabolic networks. This, in turn, will be utilised by 3) a simulation environment for simultaneous analysis of multilevel data able to improve existing knowledge on complex disorders.

The consortium brings together selected SMEs with complementary skills in the domains of semantic interoperability, heterogeneous data integration and simulation technologies to develop innovative tools to facilitate the interplay between omics data and clinical information.  Synergies are ensured between SMEs and academic teams, as well as product quality assurance through generation of experimental data for model refinement and validation. BioBridge SMEs and academic teams together will facilitate a translational analysis of the test case: nitroso-redox imbalance of the cardiovascular system. The nitroso-redox disequilibrium causes O2 transport – O2 utilisation mismatching at tissue level in highly prevalent chronic disorders (chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes). It has been identified as a common pathway leading to systemic effects associated with poor prognosis and high use of healthcare resources. The produced simulation tools may help to identify appropriate biomarkers for non-invasive monitoring and offer a new tool for clinicians.