Discovery of Emphysema Relevant Molecular Networks from an A/J Mouse Inhalation Study Using Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation (REFS™). A novel and powerful method, Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation (REFS™), was employed to identify key molecular drivers by integrating the gene expression data and four measured COPD-relevant endpoints (matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, MMP-9 levels, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 levels and lung weight).  An ensemble of molecular networks was generated using REFS™, and simulations showed that it could successfully recover the measured experimental data for gene expression and COPD-relevant endpoints. 
REFS™