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SUMMARY:Mathematical Analysis of Endocrine Rhythms and Wearable Time-Serie
 s Data - Eder  Zavala  (University of Manchester)
DTSTART:20251204T101500Z
DTEND:20251204T110000Z
UID:TALK241021@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:Hormones are essential for maintaining good health. For exampl
 e\, cortisol is a vital hormone that mediates the body&rsquo\;s stress res
 ponse\, modulates inflammation\, cardiometabolic function\, and cognitive 
 performance. In basal\, non-stressed conditions\, cortisol displays circad
 ian (~24 hrs) and ultradian (<24 hrs) rhythms governed by feedback loops w
 ithin the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Disruption of these h
 ormonal rhythms can occur due to external stimuli (e.g.\, stressors)\, or 
 in slow-progressing stages of disease. From a mathematical perspective\, t
 he HPA axis can be thought of as a dynamical system adapted to respond to 
 a wide range of stimuli. Despite misaligned hormonal rhythms being associa
 ted with morbidity\, a quantitative understanding of their variability\, m
 echanistic origin and pathogenicity is missing. Also unknown is what makes
  these rhythms robust to some perturbations but fragile to others\, especi
 ally in diseased states. Addressing these challenges is a critical step to
 ward the development of digital tools to support clinical decision-making.
 \nThis talk will explore how these challenges are being addressed by combi
 ning novel biosampling techniques with mathematical and computational anal
 ysis methods. I will showcase digital biomarkers that help quantify variab
 ility of high-resolution daily profiles of HPA axis rhythms\, define norma
 tive ranges and signal endocrine dysfunction. We will discuss how mathemat
 ical models can help us understand endocrine responses to perturbations\, 
 and how non-invasive wearable device data could constitute surrogates of h
 ormonal rhythm misalignment. By shifting from a qualitative to a quantitat
 ive description of endocrine function\, these insights will take us a step
  closer to personalised clinical interventions for which timing is key.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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