Control Theory seminar | Youcef Derbal, On Modeling of Biological Systems

High throughput technologies (gene expression microarray, ChIP-chips, siRNA, etc.) are yielding an ever increasing amount of data about DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and biological pathways and networks. In theory, these datasets can be used to shed light on the structure and dynamics of biological processes through model building and analysis. The resulting models would contribute to the ongoing quest to elucidate the nature of life’s hierarchy of complexity with implications that span a large application space of human needs and interests including human health, food production, and the health of the biosphere. However, given the multi-factorial nature of biological complexity it may be reasonable to assume that no single model perspective can shed light on the full complexity of biological systems. Model integration mechanisms are therefore necessary to yield a coherent insight about the structure and dynamics of biological processes by connecting model views that are distinct in nature, scope and scale. The proposed modeling philosophy explores the conception of such integration mechanisms starting from the assumed existence of organizing principles that support a putative thread of unity among the various aspects of biological complexity.