CAREER: Mathematics for Biological Engineering

职业：生物工程数学明尼苏达大学BES-0644792该项目的研究目标是发展生物工程数学，并结合理论和实验研究和设计可诱导的基因表达系统。教育目标是培养和吸引新一代工程师和科学家从事计算和实验系统生物学。让高中教师和学生接触计算生物工程是一个具体的教育/推广目标。智力优势：目前生物学知识的快速扩展为合理设计对信号做出反应的生物系统提供了一个很好的机会。动态基因调控中涉及的大量组件和相互作用证明了定量系统生物学的观点是正确的。对参与转录/翻译调控的所有已知分子事件的数学理论和准确模型的建立，可以为基因网络的动态行为提供新的描述性和预测性见解。拟议的活动增进了计算系统和合成生物学方面的知识。它们还导致了新的基因调控网络，如生物逻辑与门。更广泛的影响：将工程细胞用作微型工厂的雄心勃勃的想法已经催生了研究、系统和合成生物学的新领域。目标是从天然生物系统中设计和建造新的生物部件、装置和系统。提出的计算生物工程理论和算法将对理性生物工程产生积极影响。应用范围广泛，从生物燃料开发，到生化和化学武器的探测器，到去除环境污染物的设备，到疾病诊断，到基因疗法，甚至到利用阳光和水生产氢气的工程微生物。计算和数学生物学是令人兴奋的领域，其实施着眼于工程应用。帮助高中教师利用明尼苏达大学大量的计算生物学资源，并教他们如何在计算机中有效地结合数学和生物学是本项目详细说明的优先事项。预期结果是有能力向高中生传授计算生物学基本概念的参与者，最终是对追求科学/工程职业感兴趣的高中生。

CAREER: Mathematics for Biological EngineeringYiannis N. KaznessisUniversity of MinnesotaBES-0644792The research objective of this project is to develop the mathematics of biological engineering and to investigate and design inducible gene expression systems combining theory and experiments. The education objective is to train and attract a new generation of engineers and scientists to computational and experimental systems biology. Exposing high school teachers and students to computational bioengineering is a specific educational/outreach aim. Intellectual merit: The current rapid expansion of biological knowledge offers a great opportunity to rationally engineer biological systems that respond to signals. The large number of components and interactions involved in dynamic gene regulation warrants a quantitative systems biology perspective. The creation of mathematical theories and accurate models of all known molecular events involved in transcriptional/translational regulation can provide new descriptive and predictive insight into the dynamic behavior of gene networks. The proposed activities advance knowledge in computational systems and synthetic biology. They also result in novel gene regulatory networks, such as bio-logical AND gates. Broader impacts: The ambitious idea of engineering cells that will function as miniature factories has given rise to new fields of research, systems and synthetic biology. The objectives are the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems from natural biological systems. The computational bioengineering theories and algorithms proposed will positively impact rational biological engineering. Broad applications range from biofuel development, to detectors for biochemical and chemical weapons, to devices that will remove environmental pollutants, to disease diagnosis, to gene therapies, even to engineered microbes to produce hydrogen from sunlight and water. Computational and mathematical biology, implemented with an eye towards engineering applications, are exciting fields. Assisting high school teachers to employ the considerable computational biology resources at the University of Minnesota and teaching them how mathematics and biology can be combined productively in the computer is a priority detailed in this project. Expected outcomes are participants with the ability to instruct high school students in the fundamental concepts of computational biology, and eventually high school students interested in pursuing a science/engineering career.