Multi-level modelling of mitochondrial energy metabolism

构成我们身体的细胞本身包含更小的结构，这些结构在细胞内执行特定的任务。线粒体是其中的一个组成部分，它们是细胞中使用我们呼吸的氧气和产生二氧化碳的主要部位。作为这个过程的一部分，它们产生细胞的大部分能量，并以化学ATP的形式发送出去，供细胞的其余部分使用。从细胞中分离出工作的线粒体并在实验室中进行研究是可能的，因此我们对它们从细胞中摄取什么物质以及它们如何用于能量生产有了很多了解。线粒体也可以被分解，我们现在已经详细了解了它们的构成成分和产生能量的酶。仍然困难的是，从所有这些孤立的碎片中建立线粒体如何在细胞中工作的详细描述。这个项目的目的是制作计算机模型来帮助我们做到这一点。了解线粒体如何工作本身是很重要的，但它们可能会产生导致许多疾病的缺陷，所以这些模型也将有助于更好地了解这些疾病，或许还有助于设计治疗方法。

The cells that make up our bodies themselves contain smaller structures that carry out specific tasks in the cell. The mitochondria are one of these components, and they are the main site in the cell where the oxygen that we breathe is used and the carbon dioxide is produced. As part of this process they generate most of the cell's energy and send it out in the form of the chemical ATP for the rest of the cell to use. It is possible to isolate working mitochondria from cells and to study them in the laboratory, so we know a lot about what substances they take up from the cell and how they are used in energy production. Mitochondria can also be taken apart, and we now have detailed knowledge of the components they are built from and the enzymes that bring about the energy production. What remains difficult is building a detailed description of how mitochondria work in the cell from all these isolated bits and pieces. The purpose of this project is to make computer models that will help us to do this. Understanding how mitochondria work is important in itself, but they can develop faults that cause a number of diseases, so the models will also help to understand these diseases better, and maybe help to design treatments.