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Using gene expression signatures to identify novel treatment strategies in gulf war illness

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Open Access.

I came across this via Tom Kindlon on Twitter.

This has an extra element of interest for us, because I believe that Klimas and Broderick are using the same research techniques for ME/CFS, albeit with limited funds. They're trying to find drugs that can be repurposed for GWI illness in this paper, and ME/CFS in other similar research. There is a video, elsewhere on the forum, in which Nancy Klimas discusses this research.



Using gene expression signatures to identify novel treatment strategies in gulf war illness
Travis J.A. Craddock, Jeanna M. Harvey, Lubov Nathanson, Zachary M. Barnes, Nancy G. Klimas, Mary Ann Fletcher and Gordon Broderick
9 July 2015
BMC Medical Genomics 2015, 8:36
doi:10.1186/s12920-015-0111-3
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1755-8794/8/36/

Abstract
Background
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a complex multi-symptom disorder that affects up to one in three veterans of this 1991 conflict and for which no effective treatment has been found. Discovering novel treatment strategies for such a complex chronic illness is extremely expensive, carries a high probability of failure and a lengthy cycle time. Repurposing Food and Drug Administration approved drugs offers a cost-effective solution with a significantly abbreviated timeline.

Methods
Here, we explore drug re-purposing opportunities in GWI by combining systems biology and bioinformatics techniques with pharmacogenomic information to find overlapping elements in gene expression linking GWI to successfully treated diseases. Gene modules were defined based on cellular function and their activation estimated from the differential expression of each module’s constituent genes. These gene modules were then cross-referenced with drug atlas and pharmacogenomic databases to identify agents currently used successfully for treatment in other diseases. To explore the clinical use of these drugs in illnesses similar to GWI we compared gene expression patterns in modules that were significantly expressed in GWI with expression patterns in those same modules in other illnesses.

Results
We found 19 functional modules with significantly altered gene expression patterns in GWI. Within these modules, 45 genes were documented drug targets. Illnesses with highly correlated gene expression patterns overlapping considerably with GWI were found in 18 of the disease conditions studied. Brain, muscular and autoimmune disorders composed the bulk of these.

Conclusion
Of the associated drugs, immunosuppressants currently used in treating rheumatoid arthritis, and hormone based therapies were identified as the best available candidates for treating GWI symptoms.
 
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SDSue

Southeast
Messages
1,066
Fascinating and inspiring charts from the study. Looks like Klimas et al are hard at work determining the direction of future drug trials based on other known diseases with similar gene expression. There’s so much information here!





s12920-015-0111-3-3.jpg






s12920-015-0111-3-2.jpg
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Fascinating and inspiring charts from the study. Looks like Klimas et al are hard at work determining the direction of future drug trials based on other known diseases with similar gene expression. There’s so much information here!
Wish I had the slightest clue what any of those figures mean. I'm very impressed by them, though... whatever they mean. :p
 

SDSue

Southeast
Messages
1,066
Wish I had the slightest clue what any of those figures mean. I'm very impressed by them, though... whatever they mean. :p
What a great concept - there are doctors who understand more about this illness than we do! - quite a change from our normal experiences with doctors, I’d guess! ;)