Deconvolving of Dynamic Cell Cycle Parameters from Flow Cytometry Data

细胞周期控制系统通过以下方式改变细胞的行为方式：检查重要任务的完成情况，在细胞周期中选择不同的路线，决定子细胞如何继承特征，固定细胞的寿命，或允许细胞对其邻居和微环境作出反应。为了使细胞周期的数学模型在科学界中具有可信度和有效性，它必须具有足够的复杂性，以纳入已知参与细胞周期调节的最少数量的过程，包括生长和分裂、生长限制、存活、程序性细胞死亡、DNA检查点控制和细胞损伤反应。能够预测这种行为的数学模型可以为研究做出巨大贡献，减少成本和时间，减少动物实验，并支持临床试验。我们理解这一努力的更大范围，以及生物学家和理论家密切合作以实现一个具体而雄心勃勃的目标的必要性。这个PDRA流动性奖提供了一个学科跳跃的机会，让一位年轻的有才华的工程师/物理学家进入“生物学”实验室，在那里他可以理解从细胞中获得读数的范围和局限性，从而如何应用先进的数值解决方案来解释这些数据，同时确保生物学家有独立验证和实验测试的手段。

Cell cycle control systems change the way in which cells behave by: checking for the completion of vital tasks, choosing different routes through the cell cycle, determining how daughter cells inherit features, fixing the lifespan of a cell, or allowing a cell to react to its neighbours and the micro-environment. For a mathematical model of the cell cycle to hold credibility and usefulness within the science community, it has be of sufficient complexity to incorporate a minimum number of processes known to be involved in cell-cycle regulation, including growth and division, growth restriction, survival, programmed cell death, DNA checkpoint control and cellular damage response. Mathematical models capable of predicting such behaviour could contribute massively to research, reducing cost and time, reducing animal experimentation, and supporting clinical trials. We understand the wider scale of this endeavour and the need for biologists and theoreticians to work closely together to deliver both a specific and ambitious objective. This PDRA mobility award provides a discipline hopping opportunity to place a young talented engineer/physicist into a 'biology' laboratory where he can understand the extent and limitations of obtaining readouts from cells and thus how to apply advanced numerical solutions for interpreting these data, while at the same time ensuring the biologist has the means for independent validation and experimental testing.