Cellular energy metabolism; use of OMICs to unravel molecules involved in cellular crosstalk and drug targeting in the context of lifestyle and age-related diseases
Contact person: Eili Tranheim Kase
Keywords: OMICs, Energy metabolism, Age-related metabolic diseases, Cellular crosstalk, Drug targeting,
Research group: MetHealth research group
Department of Pharmacy
The use of OMICs (proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and lipidomics) and bioinformatics is vital to investigate molecules and molecular mechanisms in crosstalk between cell types/organs to better understand the context of lifestyle and age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
Research within this theme could unravel:
- Which signaling molecules and possible new drug targets is involved in complex communication between various cell types in healthy and diseased states,
- How these mechanisms are affected by marketed and potential new drugs or by lifestyle changes and
- New target molecules for drug development.
Methodological research topics:
- Analyze gene expression from high throughput RNA sequencing and microarrays to understand which genes are activated or deactivated in biological systems.
- Study the expression, structure and functions proteins in a cell system by proteomics and phosphoproteomics. This can include quantitative analysis and post-translational modifications.
- Pathway and network analysis of proteomics/phosphoproteomics/trancriptomics.
- Utilize machine learning to develop algorithms and models for predicting correlations between data from different type of omics.
- Use available data sets from omics to develop analysis and presentation options that are more accessible to people without bioinformatic background.
External partners:
- Norwegian Sequencing Centre
- Proteomic facility (OUH)
- Norwegian Imaging Consortium (NorMic)
- In-house competence on bioinformatics (Trine Rounge, Osman Gani)
- Center for bioinformatics.