Merging
signaling and math
by Mary Beth
Gardiner
An ambitious collaborative program is emerging with the intent
to mathematically model signal transduction and the way networks
of signaling pathways impact cellular phenomena such as cell shape
change and cell migration. The effort to bring quantitative approaches
to biological problems is being led by a group of mathematicians
headed by Emmanuele DiBenedetto, and combines the expertise of groups
as diverse as mathematicians, computer scientists, biological scientists,
and bioinformaticians.
These collaborations may grow into a cross-disciplinary, multi-institutional
center pending the outcome of a proposal recently submitted to the
NIH by Heidi Hamm and DiBenedetto. The center, to be called the
Vanderbilt-Meharry Center of Excellence in Modeling Complex Signaling
Networks, would facilitate interaction among scientists from Vanderbilt
University and Meharry Medical College.
The major challenge, Hamm says, would be to “seamlessly integrate
experimental data with theoretical and systematic modeling.”
Computational bioinformatic techniques would be used to integrate
information from multiple sources, including experimental data such
as gene expression data, protein-protein interaction data, genomic
sequence data, subcellular localization data, and lipidomics data.
These data would feed into and enrich mathematical models of the
process, which would then be used to design targeted experiments
for study of specific pathway components.
The long-term goals of the proposed center are:
• to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of signal transduction
through a single pathway, and subsequently through multiple pathways
simultaneously engaged
• to visualize the dynamics of diffusion of aqueous and lipidic
second messengers
• to develop mathematical and computer models of signal transduction
through various signaling pathways
• to develop theoretical and computer research tools to model
these signaling systems and to cross-validate
models and data
The center’s mission would also include a strong educational
component with the aim of producing a new generation of students
equally versed in wet-bench experimentation, theoretical elaborations,
and computer implementations. The educational effort is already
well underway, with the formation of the Biomath Study Group and
a number of collaborative teams on campus modeling diverse aspects
of signaling.
|
