title: Multi-scale computational models of the airways to unravel the pathophysiological mechanisms in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AirPROM).
abstract: THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM COMPRISES SEVERAL SCALES OF BIOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY: the genes, cells and tissues that work in concert to generate resultant function. Malfunctions of the structure or function of components at any spatial scale can result in diseases, to the detriment of gas exchange, right heart function and patient quality of life. Vast amounts of data emerge from studies across each of the biological scales; however, the question remains: how can we integrate and interpret these data in a meaningful way? Respiratory disease presents a huge health and economic burden, with the diseases asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affecting over 500 million people worldwide. Current therapies are inadequate owing to our incomplete understanding of the disease pathophysiology and our lack of recognition of the enormous disease heterogeneity: we need to characterize this heterogeneity on a patient-specific basis to advance healthcare. In an effort to achieve this goal, the AirPROM consortium (Airway disease Predicting Outcomes through patient-specific computational Modelling) brings together a multi-disciplinary team and a wealth of clinical data. Together we are developing an integrated multi-scale model of the airways in order to unravel the complex pathophysiological mechanisms occurring in the diseases asthma and COPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science , University of Oxford , Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QD , UK.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Burrowes
authors.affiliation: FluidDA N.V. , Kontich , Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Backer
authors.affiliation: Kroto Research Institute , University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smallwood
authors.affiliation: Academic Medical Centre , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sterk
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Analysis Genómica, Fundacio Privada Parc Cientific de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gut
authors.affiliation: Materialise N.V. , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wirix-Speetjens
authors.affiliation: Institute for Lung Health , University of Leicester , Leicester , UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham , Nottingham , UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Owers-Bradley
authors.affiliation: Unit of Academic Radiology , University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.affiliation: Biomax Informatics AG , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Lung Health , University of Leicester , Leicester , UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brightling
keywords: asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; computational modelling