Biomathematics Seminar
Tuesday 1/29

Speaker: Laura Potter, 
Scientific Computing and & Mathematical Modeling
Glaxo Smith Kline
Research Triangle Park, NC

Title: Modeling blood lipoprotein metabolism:  Understanding mechanisms 
behind good and bad cholesterol

Abstract:
Blood levels of "good" and "bad" cholesterol are strong predictors of risk
for coronary artery disease and heart attack.  These levels are tightly
regulated as part of a complex system of lipoprotein metabolism.
Understanding these regulatory pathways and the effects of drug
interventions is critical for the development of new lipid-altering
therapies.  We are developing a mathematical model for blood lipoprotein
metabolism that incorporates the dynamics of lipoprotein particles and
their lipid components, including cholesterol and triglycerides. This
presentation will highlight the biology and mathematics behind the model.
I will also discuss our model calibration framework, which involves fitting
multiple sets of experimental data simultaneously. Finally, example 
applications of the model will be presented.