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VTT developed a software tool for integrating and analysing complex medical data
25.04.2007
MegNet® can be used in search of biomarkers of different diseases.
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed a new software tool megNet® for integration and visualization of complex life science and biomedical data. The new tool can be applied in understanding complex relations in living organisms, and characterizing various diseases, such as cardiac diseases and diabetes.
There has long been a pressing need to exploit efficiently research results in
patient care. One of the key problems has been in linking clinically relevant
information to the knowledge obtained across multiple disciplines,
experimental platforms, and biological systems.
The megNet®
enables integrative mining of, e.g., molecular interactions, genomes, gene
expression profiles, metabolic profiles, medical images and clinical data. VTT
is currently applying the megNet® to combine medical image and metabolomic
data in search of new biomarkers for various diseases. The objective is also
to link preclinical and clinical data in pharmaceutical development and
healthcare with megNet®-tool.
VTT has applied in the
development work of megNet® conceptual space theory for mining and visualizing
life science and medical data. This includes state-of-the-art 3D techniques,
mathematical modelling and contextualization. The theory of conceptual spaces
combines elements from other theories in cognitive science, psychology and
linguistics. It is based on the topological analysis of the information space
that enables similarity to be modelled and computed in a natural way. It suits
well for integration of complex clinical data such as medical images with
molecular level information.
VTT has already applied the
megNet® software tool in its research projects. In the VISUBIOMED project the
researchers analyzed cardiac magnetic resonance images and in future other
clinical data related to cardiac diseases. Metabolomics analyses can be
performed from serum samples of the same patients. The data was complemented
with molecular network information and with information on molecular
interactions related to the disease. In the TRANSCENDO project VTT applied the
megNet® in order to elucidate molecular pathways in the early stages of type 1
diabetes.
The work has been done in collaboration with
hospitals.
Further information
Matej
Orešič, PhD, Docent
Tel. +358 20 722 4491
Jyrki
Lötjönen, PhD, Docent
Tel. +358 20 722 3378
sysbio.vtt.fi/visubiomed
Photo: Screenshot of the megNet® software tool.