Abstract

The study of complex pathologies, such as tumors, requires an integrated data analysis approach. The development of tumor pathology, passes through the regulation of pathways involving a large number of biological molecules. To date, more than 500 genes have been identified as being strongly involved in the process of transforming normal cells into cancer cells. The OBIND project was born with the aim of creating an information platform in the oncology field that allows a rapid and effective aggregation and subsequent analysis of heterogeneous data sets. The aggregated information is exploited as a starting point for the study of the interactions between different biological molecules, which are altered in tumor pathologies in order to create a rational design in the design of new therapies. To date, there is no IT tool that integrates the information available relating to these disciplines, although the topics are strictly interlaced. The collection and analysis of the data described in a single environment would facilitate the design of highly specialized and personalized therapies. The main objective of the project is therefore the creation of an expert system for the enhancement and integration of data already in the possession of the partners, of data from public domain databases, and of data that will be produced during the project phases through proprietary prediction algorithms.

Impact:

The OBIND platform will represent a hub to which researchers from the medical-scientific community, companies, sector contributors and suppliers of data useful for the results and indications achieved will be able to access. High value is given by the possibility for the medical-scientific community to obtain a holistic view of the oncogenic process. Indeed, revealing interactions between biological molecules that can open the doors to new applications in the therapeutic field. The system will be centered on the analysis of the biological interactions involved in the onset of a tumor. The main focus will be on the interactions between proteins, RNA and small molecules, enhancing the presence on the web of numerous data sets that can be used for such analyzes. One of the strengths of the platform is represented by the validation of biological data with in vitro methodologies that will help to further improve the predictive capacity of the algorithms used within it. Through personalized access to the platform it will be possible to consult the repositories of interest (data, results obtained by integrating and processing the information collected, suggestions for further data collections aimed at optimizing the solutions already identified or identifying new solutions), from one point any of the Internet through modern webGUI, through the apps for smartphones and tablets prepared as part of the project, through open interfaces that open access to other systems.

See more at https://www.obind.eu/.