![Modeling an Immune Response]()
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) binds to TNF receptors on cell surfaces, triggering signaling pathways that bolster the immune response. TNF acts to promote inflammation, which can sometimes lead to autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Most previous studies have looked at the TNF binding process in the lab, which limits the usefulness of their findings. Yinghao Wu, Ph.D., was recently awarded a four-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to simulate TNF binding to cell-surface receptors in vivo using computational modeling methods. Since drugs for some autoimmune diseases work by blocking TNF, the findings could potentially aid in developing more effective therapies. Dr. Wu is an assistant professor of systems & computational biology at Einstein. (1R01GM122804-01)
Posted on: Friday, January 12, 2018