Studying Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis through a network Medicine approach

• Grant number: 17/12487-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Helder Takashi Imoto Nakaya
• Grantee: Cesar Augusto Prada Medina
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/08216-2 - CRID - Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is recognized worldwide as the most common rheumatologic disease in paediatric patients. Despite the absence of official data regarding the prevalence of this condition in Brazil, at least 464 new children were diagnosed during 2010 in the city of São Paulo, constituting the most common paediatric rheumatologic condition in this city. Brazilian patients seem to have distinctive disease courses, however, as in the rest of the world, it is not well understood the underlying pathophysiological differences among different JIA courses. Consequently, there are no available tests to reliably stratify patients, thus treatment still relies on an empiric progression of drug prescriptions regardless of the patient particularities. In order to find consistent JIA pathophysiological patterns that can lead to discover biomarkers for patient stratification as well as new drug targets and treatment strategies, we proposed to re-analyse all the publicly available gene expression data associated with JIA under a common analytical framework. Bioinformatic approaches involving statistical meta-analysis and network medicine principles as well as machine learning techniques will be applied to achieve this aim. This constitutes the best cost effective strategy to start the development of clinical tools to improve patient disease course. The use of public data from cohorts of patients worldwide ensures the identification of global and robust patterns, with which Brazilian patient pathophysiology could be rigorously studied in the global context. Indeed, this project is being done in partnership with the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID) which is willing to assess our data-driven hypothesis in Brazilian JIA patients. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MEDINA, Cesar Augusto Prada. Studying Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis through a Network Medicine Approach. 2019. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) São Paulo.