The National Institutes of Health has committed $21 million to a new research program – the Computational Modeling of Hormone Homeostasis Initiative – to investigate how sex-specific hormonal biology influences response to therapeutics.
The initiative will use computational methods to model how sex-specific hormones affect drug safety and efficacy. As part of the program, NIH will provide up to $12.8 million over the next three years to a multi-university team of researchers focused on drug development for women.
“Current mathematical and animal models do not sufficiently capture variations between men and women. Addressing this gap is critical to the understanding of sex-specific biology and the development of more individualized approaches to therapeutics,” said Nicole Kleinstreuer, Ph.D., NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives.
The program will account for hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause, with the goal of informing more personalized therapeutics across women’s health.
“Developing computational models that provide insights into women’s health — including the consequences of disease, efficacy and side effects of medicines — and integrate age and reproductive cycle stage is a moonshot,” said Teresa K. Woodruff, the lead investigator on the multi-university project. “This NIH-backed initiative will create the first computationally driven clinical tool designed to guide medical care across every stage of a woman’s life.”
