From simulation to therapy: a systems biology approach to oncogene detection

Paper presented at From Computational Biophysics to Systems Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.In silico models of signal transduction pathways have been successful both qualitatively as well as quantitatively in describing how complex protein networks control cell function. Moreover, the study of networks has been used to elucidate not only how these pathways control the complex regulation and response mechanism of cells, but also provide insight into how a breakdown in the biological circuitry can lead to particular disease states. We have recently examined the circuitry within the MAPK signal transduction pathway to understand how changes within this canonical network may lead to malfunction, notably the rise of proto-oncogenic cells. In addition we have developed a new complementary technique that provides insight into which key players within the pathway are most likely to be most conducive to selective inhibition within this transformed line of cells. These tools have been made freely available to the public, as part of a software suite developed by our group, Cellsim1. I will give an overview on how Cellsim may be used to quantitate cell function and moreover malfunction