HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Undergrad's digital model of amoeba helps scientists study human cells

A Johns Hopkins undergraduate has developed a two-dimensional computer model that simulates the inner workings of a tiny amoeba that behaves like a human white blood cell. Her electronic model is aiding biologists who believe these microscopic animals hold the key to creating new treatments for diseases ranging from asthma and psoriasis to cancer.

Jane H. Kim, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, presented her model at the International Symposium on Computational Cell Biology, held recently in Lenox, Mass. The 22-year-old student, a graduate of Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, Calif., focused her research on the chain of events that trigger and guide movement in a widely studied organism called "Dictyostelium discoideum."

A Dictyostelium is a single-celled organism that lives in the soil and feeds on bacteria, living a solitary life until its food supply is exhausted. When these animals begin to starve, they signal each other and join together to form a new multicellular organism. This process of picking up chemical signals and moving toward the source is called chemotaxis. It closely resembles the way in which human white blood cells track down and destroy bacteria and other pathogens that release a chemical "scent" or trail. Biologists who study Dictyostelium believe that understanding chemotaxis will help them develop new drug therapies for a range of diseases

Kim's collaborators say her chemotaxis simulation represents very advanced research. "I think it is highly unusual for an undergraduate to develop such a complex model," said Chris Janetopoulos, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Not only does Jane seem to grasp the biological phenomena, she also has a firm understanding of computer modeling and programing." Janetopoulos has worked with Kim to determine how well her model predicts the behavior of live Dictyostelium
'"/>

Contact: Phil Sneiderman
prs@jhu.edu
410-516-7160
Johns Hopkins University
25-May-2001


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Yale digital diagnostic technology is basis of new company, HistoRx Inc.
2. New study to compare digital, film mammography in massive $26.5 million effort to save womens lives
3. Hopkins selected to participate in first major study of digital mammography
4. Johns Hopkins experts launch Palm OS version of digital antibiotics and infectious disease guide for physicians
5. Research shows radiologists will need different programs for digital mammography to work best
6. Pre-delivery digital exams may increase in utero bacterial levels
7. Molecular motor implicated in tissue remodeling
8. New fruitfly model of diabetes has future implications for pancreatic cell transplantation
9. Computer models expose humans as main cause of caribou decline
10. New model can aid in understanding immune system diseases
11. Physics gravity model applicable to disease spread

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Undergrad digital model amoeba helps scientists study human cells

(Date:5/22/2013)... join together in a major new effort to educate ... providing Earth,s people with clean water that looms ahead ... comment article in the current edition of Chemical ... American Chemical Society (ACS), the world,s largest scientific society. ... and Jerald L. Schnoor, Ph.D., explain that shortages of ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... Adventitious changes in cellular DNA can endanger the whole ... cancer. Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich now report ... the double helix. , The DNA in our cells ... in our bodies. The instructions for this are encoded ... in DNA, the bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... pollinating insects and wild plants have slowed in recent ... by the University of Leeds and the Naturalis Biodiversity ... reductions in the diversity of species in Britain, Belgium ... But the picture brightened markedly after 1990, with a ... hoverflies and wild plants. , Professor Bill ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):DNA damage: The dark side of respiration 2Encouraging signs for bee biodiversity 2Encouraging signs for bee biodiversity 3
(Date:5/22/2013)... May 22, 2013 Industry leaders ... VA for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s ... take place at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. ... Technologies 2013 conference on June 18 - ... , AdSave, American Elements, Applied Research Associates, ARA, ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 2013 The Conference Forum ... to Advance Clinical Trials conference taking place on September ... MA. , Disruptive thinkers from Novartis, Pfizer, Eli ... bold approaches to reduce expensive infrastructure, engage patients and ... to be big, or novel, or it must change ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... May 22, 2013  Superior Controls, Inc. has ... by Business NH Magazine.  For the past 22 ... that distinguish themselves with extraordinary business and civic ... receive this honor," said Rick Pierro ... any recognition, this award is a reflection of ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... , May 22, 2013  Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (NASDAQ: ... at the Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference, May 30, ... Neil Lyons , CPA, Chief Financial ... biodefense programs on May 30 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.  ... be available on the Investors page of the Cleveland BioLabs ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 2Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 3Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 4Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 5Disruptive Innovation Hits Clinical Trials, Dedicated Event Launches 2Superior Controls of Seabrook, NH named Business of the Year for 2013 by Business NH Magazine 2Cleveland BioLabs to Present at Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference 2
Cached News: