- Immunology and SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Logical Modelling
- Systems Biology
- Data analysis
My name is Viviam. I come from Venezuela and I’m finishing my master’s degree in Biology with a specialization in cell and molecular biology at NTNU. For the last 3 years, I have been working with inflammation in a logical model project combining immunology and the metabolism of eicosanoids. The project focuses on macrophages, and it has been extended to integrate the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the COVID-19 Systems Biology Consortium.
Contact: viviambermudez@gmail.com
My Project
Project: Logical modeling of the macrophage phenotypes.
Starting from a previous knowledge network, I assemble a Boolean model in the GINsim software. The model represents the activation of macrophages and the differentiation of the different cell phenotypes. New interactions are manually added to the network after detailed curation in relevant databases (i.e., SIGNOR, STRING, BioGateway, MYO-REG). Boolean rules are defined after a careful search in macrophage-specific literature. The model is validated using experimental data that takes into account the inputs and outputs represented in the model. In this analysis, both general and perturbed data are used to calibrate the model. By defining in silico perturbations new possible drug targets are identified. The results can be used to design new experiments and new therapies for personalised medicine.
Supervisors:
Martin Kuiper – IBI, Berit Johansen – IBI, Felicity Ashcroft – IBI, Eirini Tsirvouli – IBI