Enabling Physiologically Representative Simulations of Pancreatic Beta Cells Imbedded in an Islet

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dc.contributor.authorConde, Sidafa
dc.contributor.authorLebair, Teresa
dc.contributor.authorRaastad, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Virginia
dc.contributor.authorStern, Kyle
dc.contributor.authorTrott, David
dc.contributor.authorGobbert, Matthias K.
dc.contributor.authorPeercy, Bradford E.
dc.contributor.authorSherman, Arthur
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-24T16:15:41Z
dc.date.available2018-10-24T16:15:41Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractDiabetes is a collection of diseases marked by high levels of glucose in the blood. The condition results from defects in insulin production or function, which are activities performed by the pancreas. Within the endocrine system of the pancreas lie clusters of cells called islets. Each islet is composed of four different cells, the most prevalent of which being the beta cell. The main function of beta cells is to secrete insulin in response to blood glucose levels. As a result, the behavior of these cells is an issue of ongoing interest in diabetes research. Our research aims to take the next step in implementing the mathematical model governing beta cells by continuing the development of a computational islet. The mechanisms of insulin secretion within beta cells can be modeled with a set of deterministic ordinary differential equations. Considering cell dynamics of a cube of individual heterogeneous cells, the key parameters influencing the time evolution include ionic fluxes, calcium handling, metabolism, and electrical coupling. Capturing sudden changes of cell properties on a millisecond time scale requires the use of a stiff ODE solver. The computational complexity makes the simulation of islet behavior difficult and inefficient without sophisticated software built with careful consideration of robust mathematical numerical techniques. Our research focuses on creating an extensible, efficient, and functional computational beta cell software to aid current and future research in beta cell dynamics. In particular, we adapt existing glycolytic oscillator Matlab code into a numerically robust, modular set of Matlab files. By developing in Matlab, we create code that remains easily modifiable by mathematical biologists for a broad range of future applications. Studies on the cluster tara in the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility demonstrate that simulations up to the desired resolution are now practical. Application simulations of the beta cell islet model led to an unexpected discovery that warrants further study: For certain intermediate values of the coupling strength, a small increase in the number of fast cells acts by first increasing the burst period, before falling into the pattern of reducing the burst period with larger proportions of fast cells again.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipInterdisciplinary Program in High Performance Computing (www.umbc.edu/hpcreu) in the UMBC Department of Mathematics and Statistics, funded by the National Science Foundation (grant no. DMS– 0851749). This program is also supported by UMBC, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Consulting (CIRC), and the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The computational hardware in HPCF (www.umbc.edu/hpcf) is partially funded by the National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grant no. CNS–0821258) and the SCREMS program (grant no. DMS– 0821311), with additional substantial support from UMBC.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://userpages.umbc.edu/~gobbert/papers/REU2010Team1.pdfen_US
dc.format.extent14 pagesen_US
dc.genreTechnical Reporten_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/M24746W1F
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/11664
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Mathematics Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
dc.relation.ispartofseriesHPCF Technical Report;HPCF-2010-21
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.sourcesimulation of insulin production within beta cells in the pancrease
dc.subjectBeta cell modelen_US
dc.subjectcomputational isletsen_US
dc.subjectglycolytic oscillationsen_US
dc.subjectUMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF)en_US
dc.titleEnabling Physiologically Representative Simulations of Pancreatic Beta Cells Imbedded in an Isleten_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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