Computational Modeling of Hormone Homeostasis Initiative

Experts from the Office of Women’s Health (ORWH) and the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) have joined to launch a new initiative leveraging advancements in computational modeling to deepen understanding of sex-specific hormonal biology. The goal of this initiative is to promote the development of computer-based methods that model and simulate hormone homeostasis, or activity during steady-state biological processes.  

Sex hormones interact with many tissues and body systems outside of just reproductive tissues, including the lungs, bones, and immune system. Changes in hormone homeostasis, such as fluctuations that occur during puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause, can trigger systemic responses and long-term changes to the body. Men and women often experience different reactions to drug therapy, including varying outcomes to dosing, treatment response, and drug toxicity. Although the molecular features driving these differences are not fully understood, it is thought that differences in hormone homeostasis between sexes may affect therapeutic responses to some medications.  

To better understand these differences, this initiative aims to stimulate the development of novel human-based, data-driven models tailored to a man or a woman’s complex male/female physiology through advanced computational techniques. These techniques may include digital twins, interactive machine learning, multi-scale models, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced multi-scale models, and more. This initiative will bring new approaches to hormone homeostasis research by enabling the research community to identify new opportunities and priorities for technology-led, innovative, high-impact research that transforms women’s health.