Center for Theoretical Biological Physics

理论生物物理中心

• 批准号: 1308264
• 负责人: Jose Onuchic
• 金额: $ 191.01万
• 依托单位: William Marsh Rice University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-11-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1308264&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Center; Theoretical; Biological; Physics

This award provides a second five-year term of funding for the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) located at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). This second period builds on the extensive research, education, and outreach successes achieved during the initial five years to both expand the reach and accelerate the rate of scientific progress on critical issues in biological physics and extend the scope of training and outreach activities. Crucially, it continues the strategy of both developing and using concepts and techniques from physics and applied mathematics to tackle otherwise intractable problems in the science of living matter and conversely to use biological problems to motivate new concepts of broad applicability throughout physics. The research program includes three projects that utilize the depth and breadth of the collective expertise of the center participants to target specific biological areas for rapid advances. These are: Cellular Tectonics- the dynamic mesoscale structure of the intracellular milieu; Computational Approaches to Intracellular and Intercellular Communication - chemical-based reaction-diffusion governed communication across complex spaces; and Gene Regulatory Networks - genetic/signaling networks exhibit specificity and robustness in the face of intrinsic stochasticity, and yet retain evolvability. Each of these areas has reached the stage where approaches based on developing and using fundamental physical principles can be effectively implemented. A separate part of the research plan will be organized around smaller seed projects and around junior investigators. This part will ensure flexibility in keeping abreast of newly emerging directions and allow for re-orienting the principal projects as needed. This overall strategy is enabled by the success the center has demonstrated to date in creating an environment which fosters multi-investigator collaborations, interdisciplinary thinking and a sense of excitement at the possibility of helping build what is, in some ways, a new branch of physics. A main challenge at the biological physics frontier has been the training of physical scientists to become leaders in this inherently multi-disciplinary subject. A significant number of students and postdocs trained in the center have secured leading national and international positions in both physical and biological sciences. This cadre of talented individuals is contributing to the notion that deep physics-based conceptual approaches can now encompass living-system complexity. Educational approaches that have proven successful, including training workshops, a visiting scientist program, a biological physics curriculum and the seminar/reading courses/journal club activities are being continued. The process whereby students learn biological physics will be formalized to a great extent by integrating the courses into a comprehensive syllabus and by creating individualized plans for meeting biology background shortfalls. New ideas for disseminating center practices to the broader community are under development. The outreach program focuses on bringing under-represented groups into the research pipeline at the undergraduate level by working with partner institutions in Southern California. An earlier effort with Cal State University San Marcos is making progress, and this will be enhanced and expanded to other institutions. The overall excitement engendered by research into living systems will be exploited as a vehicle to interact with the K-12 educational sector.This award is jointly funded by the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) as part of a partnership to foster research and education at the mathematical and physical sciences - life sciences interface. Funds are provided by the Physics Frontiers Centers program and the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory program in MPS and the Biomolecular Systems cluster in BIO.

该奖项为位于加州大学圣地亚哥分校（UCSD）的理论生物物理中心（CTBP）提供了第二个五年期的资助。第二个阶段建立在最初五年取得的广泛研究、教育和外联成功的基础上，以扩大影响范围，加快生物物理学关键问题的科学进步速度，并扩大培训和外联活动的范围。至关重要的是，它继续发展和使用物理学和应用数学的概念和技术的战略，以解决生命物质科学中的其他棘手问题，并反过来使用生物学问题来激发整个物理学中广泛适用的新概念。该研究计划包括三个项目，利用中心参与者的集体专业知识的深度和广度，针对特定的生物领域进行快速发展。这些措施包括：细胞构造-细胞内环境的动态中尺度结构;细胞内和细胞间通信的计算方法-基于化学的反应扩散控制复杂空间中的通信;基因调控网络-遗传/信号网络在面对内在随机性时表现出特异性和鲁棒性，但仍保持进化性。这些领域中的每一个都达到了可以有效实施基于发展和使用基本物理原理的方法的阶段。研究计划的一个单独部分将围绕较小的种子项目和初级研究人员组织。这一部分将确保灵活地跟上新出现的方向，并允许根据需要重新确定主要项目的方向。这一总体战略是由该中心迄今为止在创造一个环境，促进多研究者合作，跨学科思维和兴奋感的可能性，帮助建立什么是，在某些方面，物理学的一个新的分支的成功证明。生物物理学前沿的一个主要挑战是培养物理科学家成为这一固有的多学科学科的领导者。 在该中心培训的大量学生和博士后在物理和生物科学方面获得了领先的国家和国际职位。这批有才华的人正在为这样一个概念做出贡献，即基于深层物理学的概念方法现在可以涵盖生命系统的复杂性。 目前正在继续采用已证明成功的教育方法，包括培训讲习班、访问科学家方案、生物物理课程和研讨会/阅读课程/期刊俱乐部活动。 学生学习生物物理学的过程将在很大程度上通过将课程整合到一个综合的教学大纲中并通过创建满足生物学背景不足的个性化计划来正式化。向更广泛的社区传播中心做法的新想法正在开发中。外展计划的重点是通过与南加州的合作机构合作，将代表性不足的群体纳入本科阶段的研究管道。 早些时候与加州州立大学圣马科斯大学的合作正在取得进展，这将得到加强并扩大到其他机构。生命系统研究所带来的整体兴奋将被用作与K-12教育部门互动的工具。该奖项由数学和物理科学理事会（MPS）和生物科学理事会（BIO）共同资助，作为促进数学和物理科学-生命科学界面研究和教育的合作伙伴关系的一部分。 资金由MPS的物理前沿中心计划和凝聚态物质与材料理论计划以及BIO的生物分子系统集群提供。