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www.fdanews.com/articles/72627-researchers-develop-virtual-mouse-to-facilitate-type-1-diabetes-r-d

Researchers Develop Virtual Mouse to Facilitate Type 1 Diabetes R&D

May 24, 2005

A computer simulation of a nonobese diabetic mouse could help researchers better understand Type 1 diabetes, and develop treatment and prevention therapies, the virtual mouse's developers said.

The American Diabetes Association and Entelos, a biopharmaceutical company, have developed the in silico, or computer simulation, model of a nonobese diabetic mouse, the primary animal model used in Type 1 diabetes studies, the organizations said recently.

"This is Entelos' first in silico animal model, and although I'm not aware of other such initiatives, I can't say that they're not out there," an Entelos spokesperson said. "However, even with that caveat, I can safely say that nobody has produced anything of this complexity before, either in the breadth or depth of biological systems represented."

With Entelos' Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab platform, which provides mathematical models of human disease, researchers can study the computer mouse model to bridge the gap between animal research and patients with Type 1 diabetes. "While animal model systems can provide insights into the pathophysiology of a disease, they fall short in helping researchers predict human response to therapy," the organizations said.