UCLA researchers develop sophisticated open-source program for analyzing thyroid health

UCLA researchers have developed a software program that simulates the response of the human thyroid hormone regulation system to a variety of treatments and diseases. The open-source program, Thyrosim, can be used by clinicians, researchers and educators to accurately gauge the impacts of thyroid treatments and to develop more effective remedies for thyroid problems. The research appears on the cover of the peer-reviewed journal Thyroid. Principal investigator Joseph DiStefano III, a distinguished professor of computer science and medicine and chair of the UCLA Computational and Systems Biology Interdepartmental Program, developed the technology based on 50 years of research with his students. "Thyrosim offers an easy-to-use interface for a sophisticated mathematical model of the short-term and long-term impact of thyroid diseases, treatments, hormone supplements and other interventions," DiStefano said. “This will benefit clinical and research endocrinologists and teachers, and could result in positive changes in the use or regulation of available remedies.” The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, is the largest regulator of hormones in the human body. Thyroid hormones control growth, development and metabolism. Maladies associated with abnormal thyroid function include hypothyroidism, or underproduction of hormones; hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of hormones; Graves’ disease, an autoimmune form of hyperthyroidism; and thyroid cancer. The Thyrosim pr...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news