Center for Theoretical Biological Physics

理论物理学在理解复杂的生命系统方面变得越来越重要，在解决细胞和多细胞水平上的现象和行为方面起着关键作用。这个物理前沿中心奖给理论生物物理中心（CTBP）建立在广泛的研究、教育和推广成功的基础上，在以前的奖项中，既扩大了范围，加快了生物物理关键问题的科学进步速度，又扩大了培训和推广活动的范围。这项工作的目标是进一步加深我们对以下方面的理解：(1)将软物质方法与分子生物物理学相结合的生命系统；(2)基于随机非线性动力学的信息丰富网络计算；(3)通过达尔文进化的自组织设计。研究的主题包括：基因组的结构和功能；基于非线性信息处理的生物网络表型决策以及细胞的物理结构和接收信号的控制。CTBP与德克萨斯医学中心的许多联系人合作，并与哈佛医学院的教职员工建立了一个新的协会，将继续在理论生物物理学信息丰富的领域培养学生和博士后。CTBP外展包括一个开创性的项目，将来自代表性不足群体的本科生带到中心进行密集的夏季体验，并为他们提供指导研究和职业指导，并在整个学年中跟进。这项工作将扩大并扩展到东北大学的一个新的远程CTBP站点。研究计划包括四个主要研究领域：1)开发基于理论的策略，创建适用于广泛细胞类型和细胞周期状态的基因组结构集成的定量预测模型；2)创建一套新的实验和分析工具，用于获取和解释基因组结构和动力学数据；3)利用统计物理、软凝聚态物理、高分子材料和非线性动力系统等工具，进一步了解基因组转录调控的调控网络；4)研究活细胞的结构，即活性细胞骨架，它决定了细胞的基本结构，同时也是不同亚细胞区域之间信号传递的管道。计划中的研究利用了物理前沿中心提供的独特科学能力。至关重要的是，它延续了发展和使用物理学和应用数学的概念和技术来解决生命物质科学中其他棘手问题的策略，反过来，利用生物学问题来激发在整个物理学中广泛适用的新概念。该物理前沿中心奖由数学与物理科学理事会物理部和材料研究部以及生物科学理事会分子与细胞生物科学部和综合有机系统部共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Theoretical physics has become increasingly important in understanding complex living systems and plays a key role in addressing phenomena and behavior on the cellular and multicellular level. This Physics Frontiers Centers award to the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) builds on the extensive research, education, and outreach successes achieved during previous awards 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. The goal of the work is to further our understanding of : (1) living systems by combining soft matter approaches with molecular biophysics, (2) information rich network-based computations with stochastic nonlinear dynamics, and (3) self-organization with design through Darwinian evolution. Topics to be studied include: the structure and function of the genome; phenotypic decision-making via nonlinear information processing in biological networks; and the physical architecture of the cell and its control by incoming signals. Collaborations with many contacts at the Texas Medical Center and a new association with faculty at the Harvard Medical School will continue CTBP's training of students and postdoctoral fellows in the information rich areas of theoretical biological physics. The CTBP outreach includes a pioneering program that brings undergraduates from underrepresented groups to the Center for intensive summer experiences and provides them with mentoring research and career guidance, following up through the academic year. This effort will be expanded and also extended to a new remote CTBP site at Northeastern University.The research program includes four main research areas: 1) Developing a theory-based strategy to create quantitatively predictive models of genome structural ensembles applicable to a broad range of cell types and states of the cell cycle; 2) Creating a new set of experimental and analytic tools for obtaining and interpreting data regarding genome structure and dynamics; 3) Utilizing tools from statistical physics, soft condensed matter physics, polymeric materials, and non-linear dynamical systems to further understanding of regulatory networks involving genomic transcriptional regulation; and 4) Studying the structure of the living cell, the active cytoskeleton, which determines basic cellular architecture and also serves as a conduit of signals running between different subcellular regions. The planned research utilizes the unique scientific capability provided by the Physics Frontier Center. 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. This Physics Frontiers Centers award is co-funded by the Division of Physics and the Division of Materials Research within the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems within the Directorate for Biological Sciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.