Computational Models for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. This progressive neurological disorder affects over 1,500,000 patients and ultimately leaves the patients unable to care for themselves. Thus, the disease causes great economic, personal, and societal burden. PD is thought to be the result of a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure. The generation of toxic species, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress have been implicated in the onset of PD.

PD has very complicated etiology and pathogenesis that suggest the utilization of systems biological approaches to understand more comprehensively the underlying mechanisms of dopamine metabolism and its alterations in PD. The goal of this project is thus to develop computational models that accompany biological and clinical studies at Emory University and facilitate insight into the underlying mechanisms, early diagnosis, medical treatment, and prevention of PD.

This work is performed collaboratively with Professor Gary Miller at Emory University.