Systems Biology approaches to
understanding glutathione metabolism
Dr Najl Valeyev
Centre for Molecular Processing
University of Kent
Edinburgh
29 September 2010
Different types of Systems
Electronic circuits design
Weather
Aircraft flight controllers
Stock market
Causative knockouts of “functional” parts
Lazebnik Y, Cancer Cell. 2002 Sep;2(3):179-82
Linking parts with “disease” phenotypes
Family classification according to
Phenotype
Idealised Cell as a System
The Complexity Problem
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Science or Art ?
The Complexity Problem
Major Modelling Principle
Knowledge 1
Knowledge 2
True
Object
Knowledge 3
Knowledge 4
Model 1
Model 2
True
Object
Model 3
Model 4
Comparison of experiments
with simulations
Experiments
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
Model predictions
Stochastic interactions between
models and experiments
 to test and evaluate the structure of the assumed intracellular
interactions with the pathways
 to identify inconsistent hypotheses and design experiments to
clarify the properties of signalling pathways
 to provide advanced interpretation of the experimental data
 to developed an integrative model of fimbriation
should lead to deterministic
conclusions