Networks in system biology and beyond: dynamical model reconstruction

In system biology, different types of dynamical models have been proposed, ranging from continuous to discrete, depending on the level of theoretical/experimental knowledge one have for the given system.
Biological systems of different types exhibit some similar features, as well as similar challenges risen from the complexity of the network itself and the absence of knowledge of most of the kinetic parameters of interactions.
In this seminar, the simplest of the discrete models – Boolean models – and their efficiency to give a qualitative insight of the long term behaviour of the system will be described. Then, as a first approach toward estimation of kinetic parameters of interactions between the components, we introduce a methodology of exploiting the
genetic algorithm on semi-random matrices, which represent Jacobians of transformation of dynamic equations of our system, in the mean field approximation. Finding the matrix which best describes the system dynamics, can serve as a first approximation to a fully continuous deterministic model of a regulatory system.

Future challenges and open questions will also be discussed.

Malvina Marku