Systems Biology

Course	T-765-SYBI
Semester	1
ETCS	8
Core	No

Year	1. year
Semester	Spring 2024
Level of course	First cycle - Advanced / Second cycle - Introductory
Type of course	Elective
Prerequisites	T-101-MATL, Programming in Matlab T-101-STA1, Calculus I T-201-STA2, Calculus II T-211-LINA, Linear Algebra T-301-MATH, Mathematics III
Schedule	No schedule found.
Lecturer	Eliahu August
Content
Without a quantitative framework to describe networks of interacting components, the functioning of cellular networks cannot be resolved. This course provides the foundation to a quantitative approach to molecular biology by means of mechanistic mathematical models. Throughout the course, we will develop an understanding of the biology of important systems and related biological questions, where mathematics can help in providing answers. We will see how to develop a mathematical model that represents relevant biological processes and use mathematical theories and computational methods to obtain predictions from the model. A final step will be to check that those predictions provide an answer to the biological question. The course topics are as follows: - Nonlinear dynamical systems (ODEs), modelling, and simulation - Analysing ODEs: equilibrium points, limit cycles, stability, and bifurcations - Chemical Reaction Network Theory - Transcription Networks and network motives: Feedback, feedforward, and autoregulation - Enzyme Kinetics - Population Dynamics, models of epidemics
Learning outcome - Objectives
On completion of the course, you should be able to: - formulate and numerically solve mathematical models of different biological processes, - use techniques from nonlinear dynamical systems theory to analyse those models, - describe important biological, physiological, and ecological processes and their respective models, - place the course’s approaches within the wider context of, e.g., drug discovery and chancer therapy.
Course assessment
Presentation, project, final exam.
Reading material
No reading material found.
Teaching and learning activities
Taught for 12 weeks. Lectures, exercises, paper presentations, project.
Language of instruction	English