Modular biology: experiment, theory and computation

模块化生物学：实验、理论和计算

• 批准号: 6800077
• 负责人: Andrew W Murray
• 金额: $ 285.19万
• 依托单位: HARVARD UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-08 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6800077
• 关键词: biological models; cell biology; cytogenetics; evolution; mathematical model; molecular dynamics

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Biology is a dialogue between reduction and integration. This Center will combine the powers of the two approaches by using a reductionist idea, the functional module, to investigate the integration, organization, and evolution of cells. The proposal has three goals: 1) To ask how well the idea of the functional module helps us to understand the organization, behavior, and evolution of cells and organisms. We define a functional module as a collection of molecules that exists to perform a specific function that contributes to an organism's survival and reproduction (and we explain the concept more fully below). We will analyze and evolve modules and the connections among them, identify them computationally, study how they allow long-term evolvability to coexist with short-term robustness, ask how they affect interactions among mutations in evolution, and examine the role of modules at multiple levels in the interplay between social behavior and gene expression. 2) To build and train a truly collaborative group of scientists who share a single guiding vision, the interplay between theory and experiment, rather than a common training, or a devotion to a particular, narrow problem. The team includes theoretical physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and biologists, works on organisms from bacteria to fish, and spans five institutions in two countries. 3) To conduct an experiment in the organization of biological research. Most of the work will be done at Harvard University's Bauer Center Genomics Resarch, whose nucleus is a group of nine young research fellows, who from the start of their independent careers will be committed to the goal of interdisciplinary research. The Center of Excellence's mission is to encourage collaboration among the fellows, and between them and the students, post-docs, and faculty in surrounding departments, thus nucleating a larger community that is dedicated to using a variety of approaches to looking for principles that explain biology.

描述（由申请人提供）： 生物学是减少和整合之间的对话。该中心将通过使用还原主义的思想（功能模块）来研究细胞的整合，组织和演变，从而结合两种方法的力量。该提案有三个目标： 1）询问功能模块的概念如何帮助我们了解细胞和生物的组织，行为和演变。我们将功能模块定义为存在的分子集合，这些分子的集合可以执行特定功能，从而有助于生物体的生存和繁殖（我们在下面更充分地解释了概念）。我们将分析和发展模块以及它们之间的联系，从计算上确定它们，研究它们如何允许长期可再现性与短期鲁棒性共存，询问它们如何影响进化中突变之间的相互作用，并检查模块在社会行为表达之间的相互作用中多个水平的作用。 2）建立和培训一个真正的合作科学家小组，他们有一个单一的指导愿景，理论与实验之间的相互作用，而不是常见的培训或对特定狭窄问题的奉献。该团队包括理论物理学家，数学家，计算机科学家和生物学家，从事从细菌到鱼类的有机体工作，并跨越了两个国家的五个机构。 3）在生物学研究组织中进行实验。大部分工作将在哈佛大学的鲍尔中心基因组学院进行，他们的核心是九个年轻的研究研究员组的小组，从他们独立职业开始就将致力于跨学科研究的目标。卓越的使命是鼓励研究人员之间的合作，以及他们与学生之间的学生之间的合作，并在周边部门的教职员工中，从而将更大的社区成核，该社区致力于使用各种方法来寻找解释生物学的原则。