The role of Information and Communication Technology in Cell Standardization
Marina Ruggieri
Alessandro Boni, Tommaso Rossi and Cosimo Stallo
CTIF_Italy – University of Roma Tor Vergata
DIE, Via Politecnico 1 – 00133 Roma , Italy
In the last decades, the progress in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
has been extraordinary. Today, ICT can be considered mature and, therefore, ready to crossfertilize
other areas where its technological, modeling and architectural results can be effectively utilized.
Many research fields directly related with the improvement of the Quality of Life (QoL) of human
beings can take great advantage from the maturity of ICT.
The Center for TeleInFrastructures (CTIF), a worldwide research network focused on ICT systems
and applications, and, in particular, its Italian node (CTIF_Italy) are addressing deep efforts in the
use of ICT for improving the QoL, through an interdisciplinary research that, so far, deals with the
following fields: Energy, Geology and Biotechnology.
In the latter field, in particular, the focus is on the application of ICT to Stem Cell systems. There
are four topics that are being investigated by CTIF_Italy:
i) Modeling Tools for Stem Cells Interaction in Bio-active Scaffolds:
Game Theory (GT) has been widely used in wireless technologies to model medium access, power
control or resource exchange. In order to have a wider vision of the problem and describe the
evolution of such networks, Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT) is currently considered as an
important tool. We applied the theory to study how a stem cells population becomes a myocardial
tissue.
ii) Application of Information Theory to Communications between Stem Cells
The aim is to apply the concepts of information theory to the mathematical modeling of the natural
reciprocal interaction between cells, in particular between cells and extracellular matrix, with the
aim to gain the required knowledge to mediate and regulate this process.
iii) Networking between Biotech Laboratories
INBA (Infrastructural Network for Biotech Advancement) aims at the development of a networking
environment for the cooperation of biotech scientists and experts who aim at interacting remotely
through tele-measurements and tele-experimental sessions, software driven procedures, advanced
web applications in a secure environment.
iv) Secure and Intelligent Database Architectures
Artificial intelligence techniques can be useful tools to realize an intelligent database engine hybrid
architecture for data concerning the interaction between cell/scaffold and cell/cell. The intelligent
database engine architecture should satisfy specific system security requirements.
In the presentation, the ICT vs QoL framework will be described, along with its application in an
interdisciplinary approach. In particular, some of the results achieved so far in the application of
ICT to stem cells will be reported.